After a string of high-energy episodes, Will Trent’s newest installment, “Push, Bounce, Fall” lands someplace between well-balanced and barely underwhelming. The pacing stays regular, and the character arcs unfold predictably, but moments of tonal inconsistency create a considerably jarring expertise. Let’s evaluate.
As ordinary, the episode presents a story of two crimes. Particular Brokers Will Trent (Ramon Rodriguez) and Religion Mitchell (Iantha Richardson) examine the dying of Rooster (Gregory L. Wilson) at Invoice Pickett’s Rodeo, a historic Black rodeo in Atlanta. On the floor, the proof overwhelmingly factors to veteran rider Bernadette Fleury (Yolanda Ross)—a lot in order that the rodeo proprietor provides a $10,000 reward for her seize and the return of her horse, Pancake. The bounty raises considerations about potential vigilantism, prompting Amanda Wagner (Sonja Singh) to push Will and Religion to search out Bernadette earlier than another person does.
Will’s eager observational abilities lead him to deal with the blood discovered removed from the sufferer and the useless cowboy’s costly sneakers, indicating that Bernadette is probably going injured—or she wasn’t alone within the barn the place Rooster died. Religion seeks perception from Bernadette’s good friend, Ruby Metal (Jacinte Blankenship), a former rodeo performer. Ruby is aware of Bernadette’s troubled previous, which incorporates being assaulted and labeled an issue on the circuit.
Will and Religion flip their consideration to Bernadette’s ex-boyfriend, Flynn Callaway (Antwan Mills). His home, suffering from horse feed and manure, suggests he is aware of the place she is—however he’s not speaking. Earlier than they will get extra out of him, Callaway is murdered.
In the meantime, Murph (Nathan Hesse), enticed by the reward cash, tries to seize Bernadette. As an alternative, she ties him half-naked to a tree—not precisely the actions of somebody fleeing a homicide cost.
With Callaway useless, Bernadette calls Will. He urges her to give up, laying out his idea of Rooster’s homicide. Bernadette confirms the presence of a 3rd man, whom Will dubs “Damaged Nostril” (Myles Humphus). Bernadette, undecided she will belief the GBI, refuses to return in. Religion picks up on the background noise within the name, recognizing that Bernadette is looking from Goodwill Ranch—a spot the place she conveniently as soon as labored.
Will and Religion arrange an in a single day stakeout at Goodwill Ranch. Formally, they’re there to surveil Bernadette, however the dialog veers private. Will confesses to Religion that Marco’s brother got here to kill him, and a chunk of him needs that he had. He additionally laments his struggles with remedy—discovering a great therapist is proving more durable than anticipated. Religion does her greatest to get her buckaroo to buck up, however Will doesn’t appear to be listening.
As they surveil Bernadette, she surprises them by surveilling them as a substitute. The subsequent morning, she invitations them to breakfast—actions that additional counsel she’s no killer. Bernadette encourages Will to work together with Pancake, however he’s intimidated by the horse’s measurement. She reminds him, “Horses reply to who you might be, not who you suppose you might be.”
Simply as Will begins to heat as much as Pancake, gunfire shatters the second—Bernadette takes successful. Chaos erupts, and Religion finds herself in a traditional Western standoff with Damaged Nostril, fingers twitching close to triggers. The strain hangs thick till Religion, cool as ever, has the quickest finger. One shot, one takedown—the cowboy loses, the cowgirl wins.
Religion agrees to stick with Bernadette, whereas Will leads Pancake, sick from ingesting cocaine Damaged Nostril tried to hide, to security. The scenario supplies Will with sudden equine remedy, as he likens the horse’s struggling to his personal inside turmoil, as he’d described the ache of his nervousness to his therapist (Margaret Cho) as “a bag of boiling snakes.” Sharing his “optimism drops” with Pancake, Will helps the horse push ahead.
When Will lastly will get a cell sign, he requires a veterinarian as a result of Pancake is down. In a second of desperation, Will pleads with the horse, “If you happen to dwell, I dwell. We’re selecting to dwell.” It’s unclear if even Will believes his personal phrases.
Quick ahead. Pancake pulls by way of. Bernadette is again within the saddle. However Will? That continues to be unsure.
Whereas Will and Religion navigate the rodeo thriller, Detectives Angie Polaski (Erika Christensen) and Michael Ormewood (Jake McLaughlin) examine the dying of a person they have to decide resulted from a push, soar, or fall. The subplot serves as a foil for the detectives’ private struggles.
Michael, pushed by the fabulous Bon Bon (Jonny Beauchamp) and Josiah (Kenneth Mosley), is inspired to finish his end-of-life paperwork resulting from his mind tumor. Their Abbott-and-Costello dynamic—characterised by rapid-fire banter and comedic misunderstandings—provides levity. Bon Bon’s hilarious combine up of phrases “transparence, nitpoking, and torpid,” is met with Josiah’s corrections: “transference, nitpicking, and cathartic.”
In the meantime, Michael and Angie soar into the investigation when the coroner, Pete (Kurt Yue), reveals James Webster’s corpse with out preamble, grossing out the detectives. Webster’s widow, Danielle (Erika Robel), describes him as a loyal father and chook fanatic. With no recognized enemies, they rule out “push”. Nevertheless, the household’s insurance coverage agent, Tim Shivers (Matthew Cornwell) notes Webster was on antidepressants, suggesting “soar”—till a receipt for a brand new chook feeder, bought on the day of his dying, contradicts that idea.
Safety footage reveals Tim recovered Webster’s dropped chook feeder and tried to move the dying off as suicide—motivated by the bonus he’d obtain for a self-inflicted fatality. Michael slaps on the cuffs, charging Tim with proof tampering and interference in an investigation.
Angie and Michael pat themselves on the again, however their private battles stay unresolved. Regardless of Michael’s heartfelt discuss together with his children, Angie spirals, heading to a bar as a substitute of a gathering.
Angie’s try to flush her mom’s stays—performed partially for comedy—was cringe-worthy at greatest. She finally ends up on her knees, grinding in opposition to the filth of a bar’s rest room ground—sticky with who is aware of what, reeking of stale beer and remorse. As if that weren’t sufficient, she stumbles into a pair’s struggle and turns into their goal. The blows go away her greater than bodily defeated—they drive an existential reckoning.
The present usually balances self-aware humor, however on this episode, the road between levity and insensitivity is blurred. When coping with subjects like homicide, abuse, and trauma, pressured humor can really feel misplaced—akin to laughing out loud at a funeral.
“Push, Bounce, Fall” has moments of intrigue however lacks the spark of earlier installments. Whereas the modern-day Black rodeo setting supplies recent visible enchantment, the episode capabilities as a bridge fairly than a standout, holding issues collectively however failing to depart viewers with momentum.
General Score:
7:10
Lynette Jones
I’m a self-identified ‘woke boomer’ who hails from an period bathed within the comforting glow of a TV, not a pc display screen. Navigating the digital world can generally go away me feeling a bit uncertain, however I method it with curiosity and a willingness to be taught. Endurance and kindness on this new panorama are really valued. Let’s embrace the journey along with appreciation and a contact of humor!
Lynette Jones