Episode 6 opens with an unusual situation. Diaz and Harmon respond to an alleged reckless driver: a distracted Gen Zer on TikTok. As officers arrive on the culdesac, we witness an angry man and mournful neighbors feigning over an injured party. The absent-minded driver hit a beloved stray dog and tried to flee the scene. With animal control two hours away, Harmon volunteers to take the injured canine herself. But the German Shepherd would never survive the drive. Lasman, who arrives as backup, recommends they take the dog out themselves. He asks Harmon and Diaz to escort passersby back into their homes.
The scene helps subvert our expectations of police officers. We normally correlate them to acts of criminality. So seeing these officers take a moment to exude sympathy for the dog, and the strangers who viewed the pet as part of the community was a nice touch. This empathetic side of policing shows up again in a more startling scene.
Later, Diaz and Harmon respond to a noise complaint in a posh neighborhood. After finally entering the residence, they are bombarded by loud music and countless adolescents enjoying a midday soiree. Suddenly, a young woman races toward them screaming about some friends who have passed out. Heading upstairs, the pair find three juveniles unresponsive. They allegedly took laced cocaine. Two teens are resuscitated with Narcan, while a third – Aubrey – struggles to respond to the medicine. The paramedics struggle to secure a pulse, attaching a defibrillator for a third time. That happens to be the charm to stir a pulse on the young victim.
Harmon immediately chastizes a young man whose sister barely survived. We sense this has hit a nerve with Harmon and learn about her more personal connection. Viewers learn Harmon’s older sister lost her job on the force within six months of falling prey to prescription drugs after her car incident. She started on oxy and soon graduated to heroin.
The episode closes with an emotional note as we continue peeling the layers of our two leads.
Rating: 8/10