#seth gabel

(Part 1)

A. How Nyla Destroyed Her First Marriage

We know that Nyla Harper is an outstanding police officer. After all, she got a golden ticket for working above and beyond in an undercover assignment for four years. We also know she paid a hefty price for that. Her first marriage crumbled, and she almost lost the custody of her first child, Lila Town.

We've seen how excellent Nyla was at undercover works. From the way she disguised herself impromptu on the spot to the way she coached Lucy Chen for a UC assignment, it's clear that she knows what she's doing.

However, in ep. 8x08, we saw a side of Nyla which we haven't seen before: the way she gave her all to catch a criminal. Celina Juarez brought this up when she was asking how Nyla could pick up LAFD's slack in monitoring a serial killer suspect, while also being a wife, a mother, and working on other cases. Nyla spent every available hour she had on monitoring Liam Glasser, the suspect. From an outsider's perspective, her behavior is stalker-like and borderline obsessive.

This behavior might have caused the demise of her first marriage. We've been told about it before. However, seeing her acting all intense and focused like that really drilled the fact into our brain.

Nyla's ex husband, Donovan Town, tolerated her behavior for four years until he couldn't anymore. It would be interesting to see how James Murray, Nyla's current husband, would react to Nyla's obsession to a case. Would James support Nyla until the end, or would he give up like Donovan did? However, considering Liam Glasser has been caught, I don't think the show would go there, at least not this time.

B. Is James Cheating on Nyla?

James kissed another woman. He was not the one who initiated the kiss, but it was not a sudden kiss. There was an intimate atmosphere built up for maybe 2 or 3 seconds before it happened. James had a chance to retract himself, but he didn't. Instead, he went with the flow until the woman kissed him. However, he pull out right after. He also explained to Kylie, the woman who kissed him, that he loved his wife and didn't mean to cheat on her. Thus, did James cheat on Nyla or not?

Viewers are devided. There are people who insist that James did not cheat because he pulled out right after the kiss. Others disagree. James went with the flow for a few seconds. He should pull out BEFORE the kiss happened, not after.

I think there is no definitive answer in this case. Angela Lopez said to John Nolan that for her, a kiss was crossing the line, but flirting was harmless. Angela herself has flirted with Keith Graham, her co-worker, to get some help on administrative works. For me personally, a cheating includes a deliberate show of romantic or sexual signal to other person(s). So yes, I think James is cheating, because he went with the romantic flow right before the kiss.

Nyla might not consider what James did as cheating, if she knew for sure that James pulled out from the kiss. Nyla has slept with Donovan Town, her ex-husband, when Donovan was still in a relationship with Penelope. Thus, I think Nyla's definition of cheating wouldn't be so strict. The problem is, Nyla might not be able to get any assurance, because Kylie is probably not going to survive to tell the truth. That would be another challenge to Jayla's relationship.

I never really like James Murray. I think he's whiny and a little overbearing. James often complains to Nyla and co. about the police's abuse of authority, but does not offer any practical solutions to them. Nyla and her colleagues are at the bottom of the big organization, what does he want them to do? To have them rally on the streets??? I was disapponted when Nyla chose James instead of Alonzo Smith, who objectively is better looking (and not whiny, ffs). I don't think I would even blink if Jayla broke up. However, objectively, I don't think the show would go there. James and Nyla have worked hard on their relationship despite their differences, and James is such a good friend with Wesley Evers. Alexi wouldn't throw all of these character developments to the wind.

C. Is This The Last of Liam Glasser?

Mekia Cox who played Nyla Harper said that Nyla had met her 'Joker' in Liam Glasser, so I was disappointed when the serial killer was caught only on his second appearance on the show. I hope we would see him again in the near future. The character is smart and cunning. There's a lot of potential stories could be developed involving him. Liam might escape from the prison and meets Oscar "The Cockroach" Hutchinson, who is still on the loose. They could team up, or Liam might try to make Oscar his victim. That would be interesting.