The Chicago Code "Cabrini-Green" Review

Each episode title of The Chicago Code is related to some piece of Chicago history. In "Cabrini-Green," Cabrini-Green has a personal tie with one of the central characters of the show--Ronin Gibbons. Last week, the show made a conscious effort to show how bad a guy Alderman Gibbons really is. This week, the episode delved into the personal story of Gibbons. He grew up in the Cabrini-Green projects with a great view of Chicago. As a boy, he dreamed of all he could do in the city of Chicago. When the Alderman ignored his father's calls about a mistaken tax notice, Gibbons decided to run against that Alderman. He won and he eventually made Chicago his own.

Gibbons' story was the best part of the episode, and I'm beginning to think that the show might not want to arrest Gibbons quite yet for his corrupted ways. The man came from the same streets as the gang that sent a message through a gun-wielding 15 year old named Michael. A complex villain is the always the best kind of villain after all. The gang sent the message because Gibbons became too multi-ethnic for their liking. Instead of keeping the heat off of them, Gibbons instead protects Killian and the Irish mob.

Gibbons and Teresa share similar goals for the city of Chicago. Both are powerful people but, of course, they're complete opposites. While Teresa struggles to keep her cops on her side, Gibbons has so many people in his pocket that I doubt he can keep track of them all. Both characters want to cleanse the streets of Chicago. Gibbons reveals this goal during the closing narration of the episode, after we see the dead body of Little Monster (the thug who hired the "hit"). Teresa, of course, wants the cleanse the streets of the corruption and crime that destroyed her parent's lives. The characters come from the same essential foundation. Both were inspired at a young age to change Chicago by circumstances in their lives. The difference between the two is exemplified in Gibbons' scenes with Michael.

Gibbons has the charges against Michael dropped. His assuring conversations to Michael's mother about the future are designed for Gibbons to figure out which gang wants him dead. Gibbons' interest in Michael exists only for the press and his own personal reasons. Troubled kids from the 'Hood aren't a high priority for Gibbons. Michael even questions Ronin's motives--he did try to shoot the man after all. The delivery of a beautiful flat-screen television and an XBOX 360 only makes Michael more untrustworthy. The television and video-game console are calculated gifts--a way for Gibbons to get Michael to open up about the truth. Indeed, when Michael wonders whether or not Gibbons will murder him, the Alderman soon discovers the man and gang behind the "message" because he turns the conversation around entirely using his excellent diplomatic skills. Not long after, Gibbons takes care of the problem.

Every word, every gesture and movement is calculated by Gibbons. One assumes he knows exactly how many times his eyes blink in the morning. Gibbons will be a hard man to take down because, as Teresa explains, the city of Chicago hails him as a hero for shooting a 15 year old boy. He's the ultimate politician. Words are truly weapons for him. He managed to kill the gang member before the cops discovered who put the hit out on the Alderman. His tracks are covered. And, also, Delroy Lindo plays the character so well that even I would struggle to believe the man's capable of what he's actually capable of.

In the B story (or maybe it's the A story), an anonymous person planted explosives in a medical lab. Later, the person planted explosives in a karaoke bar which used to be something else. An old radical leftist group in Chicago used to bomb buildings in the 70s and the current bomber's following what the mastermind (Dr. Argyle) of the attacks planned during the 70s and, apparently, boasts about in a book he's written. The story connects the theme of the episode (one's connection to one's past and the sins of our future to use a Minear-ism). The bomber is the child of two parents whose lives were ruined by Dr. Argyle. The sins of the bomber's parents became the sins of his future (and, well, present) and Argyle couldn't escape an arrest after all of those years (in case I didn't beat the theme over your head). The past continues to motivate Gibbons and Teresa. The case-of-the-week was all about the past.

Overall, I enjoyed the episode. The case-of-the-week was more ordinary this week than last week. Delroy Lindo knocked the episode out of the park for the second week in a row. He's quickly stealing the show from Jennifer Beals and Jason Clarke.

Tim Minear and Jon Worley wrote the episode. I forget who the director is and imdb.com doesn't have the actual director listed for "Cabrini-Green" so my apologies.

Other thoughts:

-I’d like to thank Shawn Ryan for convincing the writer(s) of each episode to answer questions every week. Tonight, I had the privilege of chatting with Tim Minear briefly on Twitter. Minear is one of the great TV writers.

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