What I’m Watching: The Chicago Code

The Chicago Code: Season 1, Episode 10 “Bathhouse & Hinky Dink” (B+)

Talk about kicking a show into gear. It’s bittersweet, of course, since the fate of this show remains uncertain and won’t be known for at least another week, though at least this season’s arc could come to a magnificent end with the latest developments playing out over the final three episodes of the year. I’m most impressed with this episode for providing a showcase for Liam, a character who has never amazed me as much as he should. Having him narrate a bit of it and reveal details about his large family and his desire to share a meal with them was a good window into his thought process and motivations. It’s also clear now that he’s supposed to be playing the highly motivated screw-up type, sort of like Leonardo DiCaprio’s Billy Costigan in “The Departed,” and he fills that role well. His shedding of his recording device was shrewd and productive. Patrick St. Esprit was a good choice to play Hugh Killian, though it’s a bit disorienting to see him as a bad guy following his role as SAMCRO friend Elliott on “Sons of Anarchy.” Theresa’s excitement at the end of the episode when she was expressing her request to start an investigation into Gibbons was palpable and a bit over-the-top, but I’ll admit that I was excited too. This show has been building towards this all season, and this development sort of snuck up, dropped in Liam’s lap and suddenly convenient. It should be a thrilling rest of the season, provided Wysocki doesn’t get arrested for murdering Isaac.