#don eppes

Don Eppes from Numb3rs is aromantic!

3x13 – Finders Keepers

This episode is decent. It feels a bit disjointed in the middle with Charlie’s frustration at being stuck between the NSA and Don, as the whole conflict is resolved with basically zero consequences roughly two scenes later, but the case was very interesting. I hate hate HATE seeing Charlie work for the NSA, but I guess I can’t be surprised the pro-police and pro-military show is also pro-surveillance state. It warmed my brothers-loving heart to see Don automatically and continuously stand up for Charlie. Charlie and Millie’s back-and-forths are becoming very MLM/WLW solidarity coded in their bickering and I love it! As we can see from the final scene, she slots in with the Eppes boys perfectly. Liz is in town because she is going to temporarily replace Diane while she’s out for maternity leave was reassigned! Good for her!

3x14 – Take Out [link]

3x15 – End of Watch

I didn’t do a full-length analysis of this episode because, frankly, I still can’t stand Walker. I appreciate that he was wrong this time around, and it was a corrupt cop who was the killer, like it should’ve been in “The O.G.” Don’t care for Amita’s statement that drugs caused in increase in gang-related deaths, as opposed to the war on drugs, though.

Speaking of, Amita gets a mini arc in this episode! But I feel it was missing a scene; Amita says she’s doesn’t want to chair the committee anymore because the other faculty are intimidating, then the next scene she appears, she’s changed her mind off screen. Could we have a scene maybe showing what helped her come to this new conclusion, show? No? We need more scenes of Walker yelling at everyone? Of course we do.

Outside of that, I think this episode starts the trend of Charlie ruining people’s food (Megan’s popcorn), Don and Liz do some cute flirting, there’s a Charlie and Liz crumb (she reaches out her hand to help him down) which only I care about because I crackship it sometimes, and as a fan of the John Wick films, it’s always lovely to see Lance Reddick make a cameo!

3x16 – Contenders

A PROPER David episode! Finally! Alimi Ballard gets to do some great acting in this episode, he’s got a lot of juicy scenes! It’s nice to see David’s backstory get a little bit more attention, having lost a dear friend in his youth and being conflicted as to whether or not to put the responsibility on Ben. We also see Claudia again, and her bonding with David was very nice to see. This episode also does some great set up, as it shows us that David’s response to be hurt or betrayed by a friend or loved one is to become angry and cold, which we will see again in “Trust Metric.” For the case, I’m very glad the culprit was not the man of color who came from an unfortunate background, and was instead the major business owner, which is far more accurate to reality.

Lots of little details to enjoy as well! Megan points out Don’s tell is looking at his watch, something Rob does often as Don, we learn that David isn’t really a coffee drinker (I guess those cups we see him with are tea?), and Don and Alan went to the poker tournament! Adorable! A solid episode!

3x17 – One Hour [link]

3x18 – Democracy

This episode is pretty solid! This is Oswald Kitner’s only other episode, and Megan’s last episode before her temporary departure until “The Janus List.” Both Oswald’s role and Megan’s departure are very understated; which, for Megan, makes sense, as the team likely knew Diane would return, but ends up making Oswald’s last appearance fall slightly flat. The case was pretty accurate this time around! Elections are always rigged by rich, white businessmen, who are happy to commit violence to cover up their crimes. The only inaccurate parts is that A. the politician didn’t know, and B. anyone cared that a small election was rigged. We live in 2026, and Donald Trump and Elon Musk admitted to election fraud on TV, and neither are in prison.

As for the B-plot, Charlie gets a little bit of emotional maturity in this episode, as he recognizes his own growing comfort with death after discovering a colleague was murdered. I’m also noticing that this is the second time that Charlie has shown concern that someone he knew was murdered instead of dying by suicide and Don thinks not much of it (the other being “Structural Corruption”). Contrast this with “Gun and Roses,” where when someone Don knew was believed to have died by suicide, he was insistent it was murder. It does feel a bit hypocritical of him at this point, but everybody’s got flaws.

3x19 – Pandora’s Box

Requested by @treading---lightly [link]

3x20 – Burn Rate

Arguably, this episode is “Protest” again: a series of bombings that are copies of a previous bombing; the same agent on the previous case is back on this one; said agent is certain that the bomber is the person they believe it was before, but they’re proven wrong; the bomber’s actually has some valid moral points in their manifesto, but because they kill, their argument is considered invalid; etc. Surprisingly, it’s not the same writers (Heuton and Falacci wrote “Protest,” and this was Don McGill), but this was likely a “copy the homework and change some details” scenario. One of the changed details is adding some HORRIFIC ableism by portraying someone with schizophrenia as a violent, sexually-predacious killer. Fucking disgusting.

This episode does have its moments, though! The climax is very Charlie-focused, as not only does he save the day, but he gets a small rallying speech as well! We learn that Don played hockey as a child, and that though he and Charlie will argue often, they’ll always come back around (with dad’s help!) The entire bet subplot was pretty cute, though I’m not sure I’m in love with the resolution (I guess consumerism is okay when they do it??) My favorite little details were Charlie giggling at Millie in the background of a shot, Liz whistling to get Colby’s attention and him throwing a greeting over his shoulder so casually, and the tiniest charliz crumb (they TOUCHED guys!!!) When it’s not about the case, it’s a nice episode!

3x21 – The Art of Reckoning

Off the bat, I’m annoyed. The violent, uncaring, murderous freelance hitman is a man of color. Feels racist to me. I appreciate the attempt at humanizing him, with his guilt over the death of the child and his unrelenting desire to meet his own daughter, but I feel like the story would’ve worked equally well with a white actor. We did not need to depict a Black man as violent and cruel. But then again, this episode was brought to us by the genius behind “Dark Matter” and “Killer Chat”, so I guess I should’ve kept my expectations low.

In better news: Larry’s back! It’s heartwarming to see how happy everyone is to see him again: Amita wants to throw him a party, Don takes time out of his case to go to the Craftsman looking for him, and Charlie is ecstatic, bouncing off the walls like a puppy just at the mere sight of Larry. Larry’s arc is going in a new direction, which I think we should hold off on our thoughts, as it’s going to be a feature in season 4. Besides, getting to see the Craftsman’s solarium again was the true reunion for me <3

This episode is actually extremely light on the math, possibly the episode with the least math in it! There’s no CharlieVisions, and a single AudienceVision. Most of the episode is about characters, with a single action set piece sprinkled throughout the back half. Though, perhaps a little too sprinkled, as I found the pacing to be really awkward (David and the guy from Law & Order were running around in that field for 2 hours??) It was nice to see them utilize some time on the beach! For a show set and filmed in L.A., we barely see them on the actual Golden Coast. Overall, a fine episode!

3x22 – Under Pressure

I don’t like to be a hater, but this episode is a pure skip. Vilifying Middle Eastern individuals and/or people of the Muslim faith, though common for this post-9/11 era, is just disgusting and infuriating. Nothing of value there. They really thought they were saying something with having the white military captain take control of the operation, but they couldn’t even go through with that, as they had him change his mind at the last minute. “Oh, see, the military guy wasn’t that bad! Not as a bad as the eviiiilll brown people!” Fuck you, Andrew Dettman, for this and “The O.G.” I recognize there’s technically a sub plot here about Don not wanting Alan’s help to protect him, but I’m not even sure it’s worth discussing. NEXT!

3x23 – Money For Nothing [link]

3x24 – The Janus List [link]

Special Features

The special features includes some cool bonuses! A blooper reel, which is very funny. Then there’s “Eppes Central”, a featurette about the Craftsman vs the set reproduction. I found it fascinating, but I’m not sure how granular of information the Cr3w wants, so I’ll review this further if requested. There’s also a set tour with David Krumholtz, Rob Morrow, and Judd Hirsch for the Eppes house. It’s mostly the boys just fucking around, so again, I’m not really sure what more to say about it.

And of course, Crunching Numb3s season 3. I’m still mad they stole my pun, but some questions get answered:

Millie was originally intended to only have a 3-4 episode arc, but with Peter MacNicol going to 24, they expanded her to help fill his role. Seeing as Peter returned, this might explain why Millie did not.

This one is definitely hitting the girl power hard! Most of the featurette is about Millie, Amita, and Liz, and how they add a woman’s perspective (ex. They wanted a women to arrest other women, or speak to widows, etc). You can tell it’s a different world, as now the addition of more women in the cast, as well as discussing as how important it is, would absolutely become a discourse machine in today’s social climate.

Shooting around Diane Farr’s pregnancy was also a big talking point. They knew filming around it was going to be hard, especially seeing as Diane was adamant about working for as long as possible, but they determined the alternative – writing the baby in and making Megan a single mom – would’ve been more messy in the long run.

“One Hour” was Ken Sanzel’s first episode as showrunner. Damn. He hit the ground absolutely RUNNING!

David Krumholtz didn’t know what Braxton-Hicks were, so he assumed that’s what Diane was going to name her child. What a doofus.

I am willing to upload any of these special features that I can, if requested.

Character Retrospective: Dr. Millie Finch

Though she started out rocky, I think Millie ultimately captured our hearts and attention. She’s smart, confident, witty, and fun. She slots in fantastically well with the CalSci Trio, and with the Eppes family. Her position as the CalSci Trio’s boss gives her the ability to cause friction for a B-plot without being a villain or resorting to petty melodrama; it also allows the CalSci community to feel more fleshed out and realistic. Kathy Najimy is a wonderful actor, and she has fantastic chemistry with all she comes into contact with. My only lament is that we did not spend enough time with her. I think Millie had the potential to be a beloved character who helped shepherd Charlie and Amita into the upper elisions of academia, while also being a light-hearted element of the show, as well as another great representation of women in STEM! I am very sad this did not come to pass. I expect everyone to put a Millie-focused fanfic on my desk by Monday morning.

Character Retrospective: Oswald Kitner

Oswald only had two episodes, but he seemed to have left an impression on Crunching Cr3w. Jay Baruchel has great chemistry with David Krumholtz (obviously, that’s how he got the job), and comedic sensibilities made him a great counter-balance to the darker tone of the cases. Giving Charlie a student of his own to guide is a wonderful new angle for his own character arc, as well as his relationships with others (ex. Larry, Alan, Millie); this would’ve been particularly helpful in the later seasons. Oswald also could’ve served as a nice bridge between the academics and the non-academics – a mathematician he may be, but also a baseball fan, making him a nice mixture of Don and Charlie. I wonder if Oswald is the last remnant of the briefly-lived concept of the third Eppes brother…? Either way, much like Millie, it’s saddening that Oswald never returned, nor that there was any character akin to him to take his place.

Season Review

Besides the additions of Millie and Liz, and the temporarily departures of Megan and Larry, season 3 doesn’t change much from season 2. The budget, special effects, graphics, and tone are all pretty consistent with the previous season. There isn’t a big jump in tone or style as there was from season 1 to season 2. The only change off the top of my head would be the lack of opening. On one hand, I was never particularly impressed by the quality of the opening, but I do miss its cheesy ‘00s charm.

Much like the previous two seasons, season 3’s main focus was on the Eppes boys, though I’d argue it’s slightly more about Don and Charlie than Alan this time around. Don’s arc this season was about vulnerability and trust, getting comfortable with communicating his emotions, and getting closer to his loved ones. This was achieved mostly through his time in therapy, and his growing relationship with Liz. I think this was done spectacularly well; I was never bored or disengaged with either element, and I appreciate Don going out of his way to address Liz’ concerns. There’s a fascinating parallel here with Charlie and Amita’s relationship – a romance where the man is of a higher station or position of influence than his partner – that’s never leaned into it, and is more or less side-stepped, which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that is happened twice. Either way, I don’t have critiques for Don’s character arc this season, I think it’s great!

Charlie’s arc is also pretty interesting. Like his brother, Charlie is becoming more mature, but in a slightly different way. Charlie’s growth this season is arguably less about emotional maturity, though this does pop up with Charlie’s denial of Larry’s time as an astronaut, but is more about responsibility. Charlie is forced to take on, or follow through with, responsibilities at work, at home, and in his relationship with Amita. When Millie gives Charlie more work and drags him to fundraising events, he complains, but ultimately does them; he argues with Alan about the house, but does take the criticism and work towards maintaining it; and though he’s described as being “ambivalent” about his relationship with Amita early on, we can see he’s taking the relationship even more seriously. He makes strides in standing up for his principles, as seen in the episode regarding the pharmaceutical contract, we get to see him do some up close and personal mentoring of Oswald, and he even takes on Larry’s seat a poker championship so Larry will have it upon his return. He also eventually has some breakthroughs with Don in therapy, which ain’t nothing! He’s not perfect, of course, he was still weirdly petty about Larry going to space and collaborating with another mathematician, but growth can’t happen unless there’s a flaw to overcome.

As for our other characters, this season gave some spotlight to Larry and Megan, not only in their FANTASTIC romance, but in themselves: Megan carried the emotional section of the 2-part opener, and Larry got some lore when discussing his childhood and time as Charlie’s teacher. Both of these characters had time away, which will create more arcs in season 4 that are even juicer than these! Meanwhile, I feel slightly less satisfied with David, Amita, and Colby’s time this season. David and Colby each got an episode where the case was tied to their backstory, which were very nice, but neither really felt substantial enough. And poor Amita didn’t get an episode at all! I definitely think there was an opportunity to give these three more fleshed out backstories or lives, especially with Megan and Larry gone, but it didn’t happen. I suppose there’s an argument to be made that going too far into Colby’s life would expose or contradict his role as a spy, but I do think that this team is smart enough to work around that. And as for David and Amita, well, we know the only culprit for that is racism.

I love the inclusion of Liz. I’m looking forward to where she goes! I adore Millie and Oswald, and mourn them.

In general, I think season 3 is more consistently-good than season 2. This means it doesn’t have as many high highs as season 2, but not as many low lows, either. Numb3rs has found its rhythm and polished its formula! I’m looking forward to seeing if season 4 keeps the quality up!

Speaking of season 4, there were only 6 requested episodes across all 24 episodes of season 3. Thus, I’ll go ahead and take all season 4 requests over the following week. Please remember to submit one episode per ask, though you can request multiple, and can do so anonymously! Please try to have all requests for season 3B in by Sunday, July 12th at 8 PM EST. I look forward to your requests and thoughts!

Please note that I am will be updating the Crunching Cr3w to include those who have interacted with at least one (1) post in the most recent batch (3B). If you would like to be removed or added from the Crunching Cr3w, please feel free to let me know in any format you feel most comfortable in. There will be no disappointment or hard feelings!

2x24 - The Janus List

Requested by: me

3x23 – Money For Nothing

Requested by: me, because I can't shut up apparently.

3x17 - One Hour

Requested by: me

3x14 – Take Out

Requested by: no one. I just had a lot of thoughts for some reason.

2x14 – HARVEST

Requested by @insectbah [link]

2x15 – THE RUNNING MAN

Requested by @insectbah [link]

2x16 – PROTEST

Requested by @insectbah [link]

2x17 – MIND GAMES

I hate this episode on a personal level.

Listen, I get that it’s really funny to hear this coming from me, a tarot card reader and owner of crystals, but there is yet to be any conclusive evidence that psychics are anything but grifters who prey on vulnerable people for money. Craft is no different. He claims he has valuable information that will help the FBI solve the case, but will only provide it if the FBI gives him public attention for his upcoming book. And, yes, one could make the argument that every FBI agent and consultant does what they do for money, but not for clout! Plus, two instances in which he proves himself as a “real psychic” are when he brings up personal, triggering information about characters’ family members (Margaret’s death and Megan’s crap dad). Notice the deliberate choice of who he picks – Megan, the only woman on the VCS, and Charlie, an easily-research-able mathematician who doesn’t fit the exact mold of masculinity the other men in the team do. He picks the odd ones out, then drives a knife into an already existing wound, without any remorse or consideration for the other person, then behaves as though he is superior to everyone else for doing it. That’s a grifter, baby!

The knowledge he provides is ultimately easy guesses or useless. After learning information about a case in which immigrant women are found murdered, he predicts young women (already a major target for traffickers and serial killers) who are “traveling” (which people tend to do when they immigrate) and happen to be pregnant (there was a perceived trend that young immigrants came across the border while pregnant so that their children could be born U.S. citizens that was popular in the 2000s) will be the next victims. He says “water will be important!!” twice and then it’s… jugs of water in a shed. How are those important? They’re not.

And yet, Charlie is written as irrational for calling this out. Is he a bit too aggressive? Sure. But we spent years coddling people who spread misinformation and look what that got us: Trump and his Nazi friends are destroying our planet, stripping away our rights, and killing our allies in the streets. At this point, you’re either a part of the problem, or you’re educating yourself as to not to fall for the propaganda.

Speaking of propaganda, this case is atrocious! Young Latina women are exploited and killed by the American drug trade, which would be something of value to discuss, but then the show fucks it up immediately by writing the Latino man and immigrant advocate as the killer. What makes it worse is that they go out of their way to highlight a (not stated but very obvious) white supremacist anti-immigration vigilante group, who are the actual villains in the real world, as recent history has shown us, yet write them off as harmless! Colby laments that the white supremacist group doesn’t have any “lone nutjob” and the roster is full of “family men” and “small business owners” BECAUSE RACISTS DON’T HAVE SPOUSES OR JOBS I GUESS??? CHRIST, COLBY! How many cases have you closed where the criminal was the man with three kids in the nice suburb house, or the CEO? God, I really hate these characters sometimes. And it’s not a surprise, as this episode was written by Andrew Dettman, the genius behind “The O.G.” Peter MacNicol also helped with the story for this episode, by the way! So I don’t exactly have a lot of trust for him right now either.

I have so many more things I hate about this episode (we didn’t even touch Charlie arguing with Don and Larry from a character standpoint) but I don’t want to think about it any more. As for positive things, Charlie’s hair was gorgeous and it was nice to get some backstory for Megan. Please get me out of here.

2x18 – ALL’S FAIR

I buried the lead on “Mind Games”, so let’s cut to chase this time: this episode is pure White Savior bullshit. The Middle Eastern woman who’s trying to escape the eeeeeeviiiilllll Muslim country marries the Good, White Solider - in secret, because Islam is just so irrationally violent to white people, you see - who will then whisk her away into the land of the free and home of the brave, where the oppression of women is over. And now that she’s been murdered by the eeevvilllll Muslim country, the Good, White Solider is sympathized with as he tries to enact vigilante justice.

*INCORRECT BUZZER*

I’m sure the creators and Julie Hebert (writer) thought they had something Powerful TM to say with this episode, but all they do is show their Islamophobia. Every request made by Saida’s cousin to respect Saida’s religion is ignored by the FBI. Colby insists that the US military would NEVER kill an outspoken political figure, and is proven correct by the writers. Megan says that the sexism done by white men is preferable to that done by Muslim leaders. There’s an ICE agent here. I feel like all of that is plenty enough evidence to prove my point. Yes, I suppose I could appreciate that this episode focuses on Muslim women being progressive while still holding onto their faith and identities... but then you remember that “freeing women” is a massive talking point by imperialists to justify invasions and wars in the Middle East right this very moment. Way to go, team.

The other problem with this episode is its atrocious subplot: the Susan Berry Saga. Not only does this do nothing for Charlie’s story at all because she’s never seen or discussed again, but it fundamentally misunderstands Charlie Eppes as a person.

Listen to me. I might currently be the biggest Charlie Eppes fucker on this site right now. I’ve written fanfiction about him being pined after. 14 year old me made a self insert OC to ship with Charlie. I was, am, and will likely forever be a Charliegirl. So when I say “Charlie Eppes is not sexy”, you know that means something.

Charlie Eppes is not sexy. Charlie does not seduce anyone with whispers and candlelight. Charlie does not discover the lover he was excited to reconnect with has a committed relationship she didn’t disclose and respond with “no regrets.” And he most certainly does not top!

Charlie’s a dork. An adorable, sweet, nerd who wears pi t-shirts and makes silly little analogies and squeaks when he laughs. Charlie’s appeal is his competence, his intelligence, but most importantly: his kindness, his emotional vulnerability, and desire to love and share. Also, he’s a pillow prince, but I will allow an argument to be made for a bratty power bottom.

The only two things I can say I liked about this episode was the Colby and Larry scenes (underrated duo) and the Eppes family ending scene banter. Hebert also wrote “In Plain Sight”, “Nine Wives”, and “Primacy”, so I know she can write decent episodes. She just failed spectacularly this time.

2x19 – DARK MATTER

This is one of the episodes I like until the very end. It touches on an issue I relate heavily to; I, like every other kid in the US, faced the fears of school shooters every day (at my high school, a teacher was investigated for possible threats of gun violence against students). They were almost on the money with it, too – cis het white men are always the perpetrators of mass shootings (at least 99% of the time), and arguably, the school’s system of stalking its students hurt more than it helped. However, they fucked up royally at the very end by having the entire shooting masterminded by a woman. Women NEVER commit these types of crimes, so this is blatantly incorrect. Then to portray a VICTIM OF SEXUAL ASSAULT as a Lady Macbeth figure MANIPULATING these “poor, bullied boys “is fucking disgusting. Everyone on the writing team should be fucking ashamed of themselves, Don McGill at the top of the list.

The rest of the episode is good, though! Megan and Larry are adorable, their date is so sparkling with chemistry, and Farr’s acting when she’s trying to get out of talking about it with Don is great. Charlie walking the path of the shooter is a bit haunting on rewatch, and hearkens back to “Sniper Zero” in way, as Charlie is both understanding a killer’s mechanics, and debatably, getting into the mind of a killer the same way Ian/Don would. Colby and David and Larry wondering if kids have it worse now that any student could have access to assault rifles. Don and Charlie’s ending scene is adorable, as well; definitely a conversation they couldn’t have as kids.

Commentary with Cheryl Heuton (creator, producer), Peter Ellis (director), Don McGill (writer), and Andrew Black (math researcher)

TV standards and practices wouldn’t allow them to show the students being shot, but I agree that it works just as well. The screams, the chaos, the 911 calls, are plenty enough to make your stomach lurch.

They made Megan the main thrust of the investigation as Rob Morrow (Don) was busy on post production for the previous episode he directed. But it was a blessing as this gives Megan a bigger role, which is always a plus! Another example of what’s lost in the streaming world – happy accidents that make things better.

Heuton mentioned that they specifically wrote the role of Colby so that David would no longer be a third wheel and now have a partner. Fellas, is it gay to be written specifically to be another man’s partner?

More praise for Krumholtz’ dedication to the math!

There was a helicopter flying around the soundstage on the day of the Megan and Larry, so that scene was being constantly interrupted. They still did a fantastic job!

The ending was originally a shoot out with the SA victim. So very glad that changed.

2x20 – GUNS AND ROSES

I don’t have any super strong feelings about this episode? Not because it’s bad, but because it’s solid. It’s a good Don-focused episode that shows us just how passionate he can become when a case hits extremely close to home. The reference to “Structural Integrity” was nice, and it was refreshing to see more of Rob Morrow’s range. He spent a lot of the episode being angry and sad, but we also got the tiniest peek at his comedic ability with the line delivery of “I saw a decapitated kid, how was yours?” This is the proper beginning of the Don/Robin romance, which is interesting to realize it started all the way in season 2. And the final shoot out was as ambitious as the one in “Uncertainty Principal”!

If I had to complain, it would probably be 1. the racism and 2. the allonormality propaganda. The culprit of the crime this time around is a person of color, because of course it is, the racism never stops on this show, and Charlie spends a lot of the episode worried about Don’s mental health simply because Don doesn’t have a stable romantic relationship. Charlie does seem to change his mind on this somewhat by the end, but the fact that the show has Don return to Robin instead of his brother and father leads me to believe the show is bought in to pairing every character romantically. I’m not losing my aro!Don headcanon, though!

Commentary with Robert Port (writer), Mark Llewellyn (writer), Andrew Black (math researcher), and Rob Morrow (Don Eppes)

Fun fact: this episode was directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal, father of Jake and Maggie!

Diane Farr’s father was a professional fighter, so that comment about the punch was likely her.

Rob Morrow does not like the “character walks into conversation to disagree with something by saying something witty” trope. I think it’s interesting to see what tropes actors do or don’t appreciate.

Bill Waldie (Bill Nye) was originally written to help Charlie with the sound recording experiment, but Nye was busy.

The Robs give praise to the set design for the FBI bullpen, noting that it’s realistically messy, which I agree with it.

In the nighttime Don and Alan scene, Rob Morrow had forgotten to take out his earrings. Luckily they don’t show on camera, but Rob was very worried about it!

(Sorry, Treading, they talked a lot but it was mostly about shooting schedules orz)

2x21 – RAMPAGE

Requested by @insectbah [link]

2x22 – BACKSCATTER

This episode is fine! It feels like an episode that should stand out to me, but it doesn’t. It’s a very plot-heavy episode, which may be the reason. There’s an occasional line that or two that’s fantastic – Colby lamenting that David won’t give him his desk, and Don and Charlie devolving into name calling is peak sibling energy – but again, nothing particularly stands out. Amita gets more screentime in this episode, as does David (it’s so nice to see him spending time with the non-FBI teammembers), which is fantastic! Walker is here, which is annoying, but he’s not being racist, so he’s more of a nuisance than an enraging joy-stealer. There’s a little bit of tension between Charlie and Don, and I think it’s done fine. Hearing Alan and Don fight over Charlie like he’s not in the room is very Winchesters. Overall, a nice episode, but I’m not sure I’d rank it in my top 5.

2x23 – UNDERCURRENTS

This episode is okay. Not one of my favorites, probably because it focuses on a ship I don’t care for. I guess we can appreciate the tiny amount of growth Charlie does by realizing that yes, it is unfair to ask Amita to give up an opportunity for him if he’s not willing to do the same, but he doesn’t finish the thought by offering to make any sacrifices of his own. Though I guess it is a little forward to follow someone you’re not even officially dating across the country…

As for the case, I’m on the side of the journalist on this. Sex trafficking of immigrants and people of color is a massive problem in the US, but the government doesn’t give a shit as long as white women aren’t being hurt. If the FBI wants the information, they don’t want it to stop the sex trafficking of the immigrants, but for something else, and the victims of the sex trafficking ring will be forgotten. It’s nice that Megan points this out in passing, I guess, but I could’ve used more.

As for the minor stuff, it’s cute that everyone can read Charlie’s emotions so easily. I think it’s a testament to how well Alan, Don, and Larry know him, as well as how much Charlie wears his heart on every sleeve. The show is set in LA, but it’s strange to see the team on the beach. Keep those nerds out of the water! Charlie Eppes doesn’t know how to handle sand. Or run on it, for that matter!

2x24 – HOT SHOT

Requested by @poulnabrone [link]

Season Retrospective: Season Two

Season 2 makes a lot of changes from season 1; little things like the graphics for the Black Boxes and AudienceVisions, to big additions like Megan and Colby. And so far, I feel like everything is an improvement! Megan and Colby are complete net positives in my opinion – they’re likeable, decently well-rounded (they will be expanded on in later seasons), and have great chemistry with everyone. I think expanding the team to four FBI agents was a good idea, as now they can be paired off for scenes, and multiple people conversing makes exposition scenes more dynamic. Having another woman as a main character is also super important, as Terry was lost and Amita is just now being graduated to lead.

The tone also shifts slightly between season 1 and 2: the whole show is a bit lighter and brighter, more quippy dialogue than before, and characters are less dower, Charlie specifically, but also Don to an extent. Though I respect the first season’s desire to emphasize the seriousness of the crimes and cases with the tone reflecting that, I think I prefer this slightly more lighthearted version of the characters. It makes it easier for us to appreciate the cute character moments if Megan is jokingly kicking Colby on the ass or if David is playing air hockey with Alan. It makes you root for this team to succeed all the more, and its easier to become invested in their relationships.

The sets are also fantastic this season. It sucks we lost the real Craftsman (and by extension, the solarium), but the set reproduction is incredible, and I love having more stable locations for Charlie and Larry’s offices. They also got a bigger budget for spectacle, and they use it to the fullest! Houses blow up, cars flip, and shoot outs occur in this season! Very impressive!

Ultimately, I’m over the moon that this season has a proper amount of episodes for a procedural (22+), but more episodes means fluctuations in quality, which I would argue this season has. There are episodes that I really love (“In Plain Sight,” “Toxin,” “The Running Man,” “Harvest,” “Double Down”) and there are episodes that infuriate me to no end (“Bones of Contention,” “The O.G.,” “Protest,” “Mind Games,” “All’s Fair”). To me, season 1 is a bit more consistent with the quality, but it has about half the amount of episodes, so there are less chances to make something that doesn’t work. Plus, season 2 is taking more chances, trying to be more timely and socially/politically engaging than season 1, which I suppose I gotta give them credit for not trying to play it safe. It’s unfortunate they often chose the bigoted way to do it, but I might be expecting to much progressive wokeness from a cop show made in the Bush era.

Over all, I think season 2 is just a good as season 1, if not better! The show is still focused on its core theme of the Eppes men reconnecting and growing together, but they’ve made room for characters like Amita, David, and Larry to get time to shine, too. The cast’s chemistry has improved with Farr and Bruno’s inclusion, and even if the episode sucks, I still get to see my blorbos hanging out and being cute. Even after 14 years and many rewatches, the show continues to be a comfort show for me.

And that’s a wrap on season 2! I’m really liking the hybrid method for SCTN; it allows me to focus on what y’all want to discuss without drowning my motivation or taking any of my joy. Doing this together continues to be a lot of fun! We’re finding new stuff almost every day, even after all these years later! I think the work we’re doing here is admittedly niche, but important.

And now that we’ve completed season 2, I will open up the tumblr ask box for the first half of season 3 (the first 12 episodes, “Spree” to “Nine Wives.”) Please remember to submit one episode per ask, though you can request multiple, and can do so anonymously! Please be aware that some Anons have already started: The first, who I am dubbing Provenance Anon (Prov-anon-ce? *rim shot*) has already requested 3x03; the other, now named LDPAnon, is requesting the 2 part season opener. Thank you both for your requests, I have you marked down! Please try to have all requests for season 3A in by Saturday, May 23rd at 8 PM EST. This gives everyone a week to submit, and me time to look through the requests.

Thank you all, Crunching Cr3w and lurkers alike, for joining me so far. I’m looking forward to next week!