photo: usa
In Plain Sight
WitSec Stepmother
Original Air Date: Jun 23, 2010
Sara M. – TwoCents Reviewer
sara@thetwocentscorp.com
People annoy Mary. That’s a given. The vast majority of the time this annoyance is only slightly justified. Mary is surly and opinionated, she just doesn’t warm up to people quickly. This week her annoyance is more than understandable. The only thing worse than a bratty teenage girl? Her parents.
Four months ago, in Hartford, Connecticut, Sabrina stopped into a jewelry store to find a birthday present for her mother. While there, a group of gunmen come in and hold the place up. A few days later Mary and Marshall are sitting in her living room. Sabrina, unbeknownst to her mother, has agreed to testify. This of course means that they have to go into witness protection. Her recently separated parents aren’t thrilled about the arrangement, but her father is willing to go into the program. Cindy, the mother, is not. She can’t leave her foundation and someone is going to have to pay for Sabrina’s college in a few years. Father and daughter go to Albuquerque, setting up a monthly visit for Sabrina and Cindy.
Apparently this type of arrangement isn’t completely new for WitSec. There is a yearly family reunion held in a different state for Eli Becker. Years before Eli testified against Columbian drug dealers he accidently fell in with. An agent has to be assigned to Eli’s brother Josh, and Marshall is that lucky agent. While Eli did something noble, testifying against such a powerful group, he also caused problems for his brother. Josh lost his life savings investing in one of his brother’s schemes. He also lost his home and wife, leaving him rather bitter. Marshall’s spidey senses are tingling and he goes to Stan for permission to look into things further. However, Stan passes it off as simple sibling issues and advises Marshall to keep his eyes open.
Mary meanwhile, has to pick up Sabrina for her monthly mom visit. When she arrives at the school the teen is busy with her tattooed boyfriend, Brian. She doesn’t have that much to say to Mary and pays the majority of her attention to her phone. They stop to say goodbye to her father, Vincent, while there he takes the opportunity to inform Mary that Cindy hasn’t paid that month’s child support yet. This isn’t exactly top priority for Mary, as all of those things have to go through the main office. Also she received an urgent call from Brandi, letting her know that Scott was mugged and beaten badly. She promises to call one of her cop buddies to try and find something out. But Mary’s main focus remains Sabrina and getting her to Chicago.
The visit doesn’t go well. Cindy arrives hours late only to announce that she won’t be able to spend the whole weekend. A business function has been scheduled for the next day and she simply can’t miss it. Sabrina just goes with the flow, sulking off, leaving her mother to wonder what she did wrong. Mary tries to stay out of it, reminding Cindy about the child support and the proper procedure for sending it. Feeling bad for her on some level, Mary tells Cindy that she’ll keep a motherly eye out for Sabrina.
Brandi has brought Scott back to Mary’s house and gets him set up on the couch. Not shockingly, he reveals that he wasn’t actually mugged but that the $10,000 he asked for was to pay off gambling debts. She apologizes for not giving him the money. Despite Mary’s warnings she tells Scott that she lied about not being able to get the money back and ends up giving it to him. Brandi is rather deluded, thinking that Scott is going to turn his act around and become the brother that she has always wanted. Doubtful, if you want to take a Mary approach.
With the weekend cancelled, Mary returns in time to meet Marshall at the family reunion and grab a plate of free food. She’s keen to see a family gathering of people more screwed up than her own brood. However, things get physical when Eli and Josh begin to fight. Marshall’s instincts were correct and Josh has leaked his brother’s location to someone in Columbia. Eli makes one last attempt at getting forgiveness from Josh, but fails. He can’t do anything more, he has apologized and taken responsibility for what happened, even told him that he would’ve taken a bullet for him. But all to no avail. Josh is taken into custody, Eli is moved, and any future reunions are cancelled.
Mary’s free food binge is interrupted when Sabrina calls her. The dramatic teen snuck out and went to a party at the school’s football field. While there her boyfriend began making unwarranted advances. Luckily she gets away, hides, and calls Mary for help. When our favorite marshal arrives she realizes that Sabrina is drunk and decides to go with tough love, cuffing her and bringing her back to the WitSec office. The approach doesn’t last very long, Mary sits with her and discovers that Sabrina blames herself for everything that happened. That if she hadn’t witnessed the crime her parents would’ve had the chance to get back together. Mary comforts her with some of her personal struggles and arranges for Sabrina to talk to her mom.
A few days later Mary has arranged a meeting between herself, Cindy and Vincent in the Detroit airport. Making it clear that they need to put their own issues aside and take care of their daughter. They don’t have to drop everything, but just let her know that she’s a priority in their lives. Both agree and a few days later Mary sees an obvious change in Sabrina, looking more like the girl at the beginning of the episode. And in a final moment, Mary’s mama bear defenses come out as she makes it clear to Brian that he should stay away from Sabrina.
So, thoughts? Was a bit of a slow episode in comparison to the last few. But I’m geared up to see the season finale next week. Opinions on Scott? I maintain my distrust. Anyone else horribly saddened by the lack of Jinx this season? Share your Two Cents below, Marshall would tell you it’s a cathartic release of your opinion.
Next Week: A Priest Walks Into a Bar (Season Finale, Steven Weber and Joe Spano, whom you’ll recognize as Fornell from NCIS, guest star)
Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine
TheTwoCents 
the first part of this season was filled with awesome m/m moments, and ever since raphael left, those moments died down for some reason. maybe the show is taking it slow, but still. it’s a little weird, they led me onto a fangirl hopeful moment, then completely let me down. they stop letting those two work cases together now, for god’s sake! are they planning on kick marshal off the team?
I doubt it. They had them together last week and it looks like they’re going to be on the case together next week. The promo showed them in the middle of a shoot out. I think they’re building up to something with Mary’s father because more episodes and witnesses than usual have had some kind of daddy issue.