What I’m Watching: We Own This City (Series Finale)

We Own This City: Season 1, Episode 6 “Part Six” (B+)

This was hardly a satisfying finale since the system has clearly not been fixed, and even those who seemed moderately willing to do something about it knew their time was limited, like Kevin, who was indeed fired shortly after his press conference. Seeing how his replacement did exactly the opposite of what he had promised and that the mayor by his side was also indicted for corruption was disheartening, especially since this investigation did take down some of the more problematic elements. Erika and John seemed legitimately shocked by Jenkins cockily asserting his innocence, something that wasn’t even on the table given the evidence they had. Watching his former colleagues slowly stop talking only to start again when it benefited them was fascinating, and it does seem like the only thing more appealing than skimming off the top is making sure the blame falls squarely on someone else. Hersl’s defense was particularly weak, arguing that he did commit some of the crimes suggested but not to the severity alleged. Ending on that seizure and then the big speech by Jenkins about all the things they shouldn’t do that they very much did was harrowing and haunting, and the idea that he still thought he shouldn’t have been held accountable is astonishing. I wasn’t sure throughout if these people all existed, and, thanks to a bit of research now, it seems they did, which makes this show all the more powerful and important. I also appreciated that I had my captions on while watching that identified Justin Fenton, the author of the book this show is based on, as playing himself and asking a question during the press conference. This has been an unsettling but very worthwhile series with some very strong performances.

Series grade: B+
Series MVP: Jon Bernthal as Jenkins

What I’m Watching: We Own This City (Penultimate Episode)

We Own This City: Season 1, Episode 5 “Part Five” (B+)

Six episodes is an interesting length for a series since I feel like this one could go one for a lot longer and also like we’ve already seen so many offenses that it’s about time someone finally got convicted for what they’ve done. Everything we’re hearing just makes it all seem worse, with Jemell having his own vices and Jenkins posing as a U.S. Attorney just for fun so that he could exert even more authority over an unsuspecting target. There’s also Hersl, who seems to get far less joy from his despicable actions and whose confiscations of money from a man pulled over for no legitimate reason really affected his life in an adverse way. K-Stop was a rarity within the department, someone who appeared to idolize Jenkins before he joined the team and then so immediately rejected the concept of corruption. It’s unfortunate that resistance to that sentiment was so unusual, but this show doesn’t paint a positive picture of anyone. As Erika spent some time practicing her musical instrument during this drawn-out investigation, we got to hear a very personal motivation for Nicole, whose story about her brother exemplifies the impact of even something that doesn’t involve physical violence and brutality but instead stems from the racist dispositions of officers who profile people for being outside their own homes. I imagine that the final episode of this series will find the culprits finally facing justice, but I’m not too optimistic that it’s going to create much enduring change.

What I’m Watching: We Own This City

We Own This City: Season 1, Episode 4 “Part Four” (B+)

It’s so interesting to see this show and its central characters in the context of the protest. The look on Jenkins’ face when he realized he was surrounded by angry people did reveal a degree of terror, and I think this is where those who believe that the police have been put in danger by calls to defund the institution might look to support their arguments. But there is nothing to excuse Jenkins’ behavior and the calculating way in which he actively worked to terrorize others and to deliberately falsify a report so that he could take for himself. Maurice’s account was full of so many moments where it seemed like this all shouldn’t have happened, but he’s also being very honest, specifically with how he was uncomfortable only with taking a large sum of money, not the idea of stealing in general. Seeing Jenkins initiate a high-speed chase based on the neighborhood he was in and then cause a car accident showed how irresponsible he could be in pursuit of being able to take whatever he wanted, and he actually uttered the show’s title, which felt very appropriate given the way that he walked through Baltimore like everything was his for the taking. Erika couldn’t believe that she had almost tipped him off that he was the subject of their investigation, and now they’re closer than ever to making a real case to finally get Jenkins off the street and ensure that some systematic change in the department actually begins.

Take Three: We Own This City

We Own This City: Season 1, Episode 3 “Part Three” (B+)

It’s interesting to see the many layers this show has, following the investigators who are trying to determine what crimes were committed as they’re involved in active surveillance of their targets while flashing back to the misconduct that put them on their radar in the first place. I was extremely impressed by Dagmara Dominczyk when I saw her in “The Lost Daughter,” and only later realized that she’s been a consistent part of the “Succession” ensemble as well. She’s terrific in another HBO effort here alongside Don Harvey, and seeing how the two of them seize on the opportunity to observe a problematic instance as it’s happening was very worthwhile. They understand the tremendous uphill battle they’re facing, and how the blue code of silence will surely stop them from getting as far as they’d like. Domenick Lombardozzi’s union president was a great example of someone who acts as like he’s happy to cooperate but actually has his own agenda which isn’t going to let him give as much as anyone he’s speaking to wants. It’s a disturbing concept, one that we see played out on the streets when Hersl and Jenkins aren’t the only ones jumping quickly to excessive force, since it’s become so ingrained in the culture that for anyone not to do that feels like they’re not part of the team. She may be hitting up against many hurdles, but Nicole’s determination to expose what’s become all too normal and start changing things seems like it could actually have an impact.

Round Two: We Own This City

We Own This City: Season 1, Episode 2 “Part Two” (B+)

There’s a lot going on in this show, and it’s interesting to see it from so many perspectives and different time periods. It was unsettling to start with Jenkins bragging that he wouldn’t be there long and threatening those who continued to try to take him down, and while Jemell was completely upfront in his interviews about what he did, he was also explicit about the pervasive influence of a man like Jenkins who scared everyone else into noncooperation. If Jenkins isn’t the most dangerous person because he at least puts on the appearance of being a team player and wanting to spend time with others – whether or not that’s the case – Hersl is definitely toxic, and it was impressive that Nicole chose to approach him directly in a bar. He was unexpectedly cordial at first before things turned sour, but he’s someone smart enough to know what he can’t and can’t do and evidently is aware of how to get around consequences for his repeated actions. Hearing about the incredible incompetence of Internal Affairs and their policy for suspending and then reinstating corrupt officers is extremely disturbing, as is the idea of having to sign a waiver agreeing not to sue the city following an arrest that should never have happened in the first place. Digging into all of this and trying to put it all together really is daunting, since many would surely look at it and say that the system is far too broken to be fixed, giving rise to increasing calls to abolish rather than to defund the police.

Pilot Review: We Own This City

Check out my one-minute take on every new pilot, which is embedded below and you can also watch by subscribing to movieswithabe on YouTube.