The Chicago Code "Bathhouse and Hinky Dink" Review

The Chicago Code's future is more bleak than bright. Its chances for a second season aren't great. I'm optimistic about the final four episodes of the season (and, very possibly, the series) though. "Bathhouse and Hinky Dink" was the kind of episode I hoped aired earlier in the season. Week after week of procedural nonsense wore me down as a viewer. But Colvin and Wysocki have the evidence they need to take down the Alderman Ronin Gibbons. Finally, the season feels like it matters.

The episode's teaser and first worried me--a corrupt city official on trial for being corrupt received a mistrial because of a hung jury. Colvin, Wysocki and Evers had three days to prove jury tampering in order for law office to continue with the case. The corrupt man, Wall, didn't really concern Colvin and the rest. A conviction would be a positive step in the ultimate plan to take down the Alderman. The fixed trial became a blessing in disguise because the answers led the Chicago PD closer to Gibbons' corrupt ring than ever before. Past episodes suggested that it'd be another season or two before Colvin and Wysocki could tie Gibbons to anything remotely criminal. The stars aligned though. Liam became a competent undercover cop. Wysocki relinquished absolute control for once. Everything the show had worked on and developed in the previous nine episodes finally clicked.

I understand why the series dragged its feet for the last several weeks. It's the first season. Shawn Ryan and the network needed to establish the formula and the tone of the show. The trouble with the past episodes have been its characterizations (its SHAKY characterizations). None of the characters, besides Gibbons, were written as fully developed characters. Instead, their actions were dictated by the plot. In episodes designed to delve deeper into a character, their back stories felt unoriginal and uninspired. "Bathhouse and Hinky Dink" reminded me what I liked so much about Teresa, Jarek and the rest of the characters in the Pilot. It's no coincidence that the show delivered its best episode when the characters were written the best since Ryan's Pilot script.

Jarek had anxiety as Liam went deeper into Hugh Killian's clan in pursuit of enough evidence to tie Killian and Gibbons to major corruption. Jarek felt anxious because his brother died as an undercover cop, and he had no idea he'd been made. He kept having flashbacks to the day his brother died. When Liam told him that someone recognized him from his actual life, Jarek became more anxious and worried. During a tense scene in which Liam and Killian met, Jarek nearly derailed the entire operation because he's haunted by the circumstances surrounding his brother's death. His motivations felt real, his emotions natural. It was a stark contrast to earlier episodes where he was a belligerent cop, acting above the law because it made for an exciting and edgy character. Once he relinquished control, everything went well. There's a lesson in that. I hope Wysocki remains as good as he was in this episode.

Liam, meanwhile, has been my least favorite character because I never understood why an undercover cop would behave like Liam. Any time someone even sneezed suspicion, he nearly cracked. There were many scenes involving some character yelling at him because of the stakes of his job. Liam's arc has been uninteresting and tired storytelling. But, finally, Liam gained a confidence he never had. Colvin and Evers expressed unwavering belief in Liam's ability to continue doing the job. Liam became a believable undercover cop. He got the evidence. He kept his cover. Well done, Ryan and co. Well done, indeed.

The scene of the episode happened immediately after police arrested the garbage truck man. Gibbons received a phone call. He learned what the police had, that he might be soon exposed. Gibbons tried to distract Teresa. He gave the beat coppers overtime, wanted Teresa to focus on more arrests and less crime. Gibbons just wanted Colvin away from his circle of corruption. Delroy Lindo was terrific when Gibbons learned what happened. His hands trembled. His stoic resolve crumbled in an instant.

"Bathouse and Hinky Dink" was a fantastic episode of television. If the final three episodes continue with the excellence then it'd be a shame if TCC is cancelled because the writers might've figured out the series. We'll see. Patrick Massett and Jon Zinman wrote the script. Terrence O' Hara directed it. Bravo.

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