Almost Human - Recap: Rudy to the Rescue
Almost Human continued tonight with an episode that set the spotlight on scene-stealer Rudy. Could Rudy pull off an undercover role as a drug cook? Probably not, but keep reading!
Episode 4 opened with another noodle bar scene between John and Dorian. Man, this show makes me hungry. The scene served to provide some casual friendly conversation between the two in an episode that mainly focused on action and introducing us more so to the rest of the team. I figured that this made sense by the close of Episode 4, as this partnership is the heart of the show, yet there are other cast members worthy of our attention. Oh, John ate a slug! Dorian is such a trickster!
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In what initially seemed like a dirty drug deal in a dank back alley, we were introduced to the man we presumed to be “The Bishop,” a major drug tycoon looking to capitalize on the latest craze known commonly as “The Bends.” Eventually, simple detection of a police recording device under the skin, a piece of technology known as a subcutaneous wire, revealed the man looking to sell his product to be an undercover cop. Thus, we had a dead officer on our hands. Soon thereafter, the duo of Kennex and Dorian, along with Officer Richard Paul (Michael Irby), arrived at the scene of the crime to find fallen Officer Cooper’s car chock-full of the illegal product. Paul, ever the optimist, immediately wrote the dead man off as a twisted officer looking to make an extra buck. John, who’d developed a personal friendship with the officer he affectionately referred to as “Coop,” refused to give in to doubts, even when the truly optimistic Dorian admitted that the situation looked pretty bleak. Detection of the stolen subcutaneous wire served as the pair’s first clue.
One of my favorite moments during Episode 4 came when Dorian and Kennex were tipped off to Coop’s private use of an old family cabin. When Cooper’s wife Kelly dropped by the station to meet with John, she clued him in to the fact that Cooper had been visiting the cabin just hours prior to his murder in order to repair a fireplace. Cooper was allegedly a fast runner and a great shot, but manual labor wasn’t necessarily his forte. John, recognizing the signs immediately, took Dorian out into the woods (Gross! It's 2048! No leaves allowed!) in search of the recording device that would have been taping the deal via the hidden police wire. Of course, they found it in the fireplace. The reason why I enjoyed this scene so much is because it was one of the few Kennex/ Dorian moments this week. Most of the focus would later land on Rudy with the team acting as a unit to prep and guide him through the mission. Needless to say, it made me upset to hear John spout off a line like, “… So now we’re friends,” so casually at Dorian after a bit of banter. Dorian, who responded with a look of both shock and disappointment, was hurt. Still, their developing relationship as partners drives the show. That means the good, the bad, and the ugly of it all count. Mainly, the discovered tape served to point the crew towards this allusive and mysterious Bishop fellow.
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Cooper’s captain, Barros, had paid the station a visit in an effort to boost some confidence behind his fallen officer’s case. Still, Maldonado’s responsibility regarded cracking the drug operation versus protecting another officer’s legacy. John, on the other hand, is quite like Cooper was, and he inevitably refused to back down when it came to the concept of restaging yet another faux meeting with The Bishop to clear his buddy's name. Clearly, this drug kingpin was in need of a “cook,” a chemist capable of mixing more of the drug currently plaguing the city with overdoses as it grew higher in demand. John, thinking quickly, suggested the lovable tech geek Rudy as the perfect fit.Fox "Almost Human"
The scene in which Valerie and Richard attempted to prep Rudy for dangerous work in the field by instilling facts of a false identity and running him through the process of cooking up some Bends was certainly entertaining. In the end, I actually thought Officer Paul had his first truly positive moment on Almost Human during Episode 4. I enjoyed the way he strong-armed the concept of lying as closely to the truth as possible into Rudy. Rudy, needless to say, was shaken up, but the intent behind Richard’s tough-love approach did the trick. Of course, Rudy was inevitably always going to be a bit of wildcard, as his ambition for a hero’s glory combined with his crippling terror proved to be both nerve-wracking and entertaining to watch unfold.
John’s a cop who’s not afraid to break a few rules, or laws, if it means getting the job done and doing what’s right. Dorian, who acts as both a moral compass and partner in crime to Kennex, aided John after he managed to wrangle up an old criminal buddy. The man, a known regular at a local watering hole with an affinity for drugs, offered to trade his services in calling in a few favors to set up the necessary meeting with The Bishop if John could, in turn, erase some serious charges against his girlfriend. Dorian begrudgingly did the deed at John's request, securing the necessary private setting for Rudy’s planned infiltration.
After downing a serum that served as a liquid GPS for headquarters, Rudy, fedora-clad and shaking in his boots, headed to the disclosed location. There, right out the gate, he blew his cover by unintentionally slipping his true name rather than the practiced phony identity. Dorian, realizing from a safe distance that Rudy had put himself in grave danger, offered to turn off his police programming in an effort to join his friend undercover. Dorian is quite the actor, and while the bots working for The Bishop were initially highly skeptical, his presence inevitably helped sell Rudy as a legitimate potential drug cook. Rudy’s first test, the production of a sample of his product, worked out impossibly well. It seems if Rudy ever truly covets a career in the chemical production of drugs, he’d have himself a goldmine! At this point, the man we’d initially been introduced to as The Bishop revealed himself, and through secret cameras, Valerie was able to scan for facial records. Was Gavin Maxwell actually the man they were looking for? Unfortunately, the next step in the process didn’t go nearly as well. Rudy, who had his GPS serum wiped from his body with a counteracting formula, disappeared off of the radar screens at the station. Panic ensued as Rudy vanished completely.
After arriving at the cleared scene of the crime, Kennex and his crew only managed to pick up one straggler left behind. After a bit of brutal interrogating, John eventually got the android to squeal the truth regarding the man Valerie had scanned. He was merely another pawn. Nobody had ever seen The Bishop! Meanwhile, Rudy had been whisked away to the high-tech labs of the drug operation. While he attempted to continue rambling away to the men who’d yanked him off the radar, Maldonado managed to deduce the true identity of The Bishop. Gavin Maxwell was a criminal who had massive charges against him dismissed at the discretion of an officer. Captain Barros, the man who’d previously gone to bat for Cooper’s credibility, was the true culprit! Back in the labs, the identity of The Bishop was verified, and a covert call from Maldonado led to the easy tracking of the unsuspecting drug tycoon.
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It seemed that Rudy simply had to wait out the impeding onslaught from his friends, yet things subsequently took another turn for the worse. After the android John had interrogated went offline, The Bishop and his men were tipped off to foul play, turning their attention to Rudy, the only target they had. Rudy, thinking on his feet, used a gas pipe to cloud his escape, unfortunately taking a shot to the arm as he fumbled away from the thugs. Outside, he manipulated a breadcrumb trail using his own blood, leading the men to question his whereabouts and sacrificing enough time for John and Dorian to storm the scene. Dorian attempted to lead Rudy to safety, scrambling in a brutal match with another android, while John sought out Barros on his own. The two both suffered through a bit of a nasty brawl, but inevitably they both came out on top; Dorian, decapitating the enemy android, and John, planting a bullet in the brain of the man responsible for dragging his friend’s name through the mud.
Back at headquarters, a healing Rudy was lauded as a hero, though it seemed to be a unanimous decision that he’d never work in the field again. After receiving some gratitude from Coop’s wife, John headed out to his car entirely exhausted. There, he was caught off-guard by a looming Rudy in the backseat. Dorian had promised him a night out for drinks… at John’s favorite bar. Oh, the embarrassment, Kennex!
What did you think of Season 1 Episode 4 of Almost Human, “The Bends”? Did you like that this week’s show focused on Rudy? How are you feeling about Richard? Has the show hit its stride in your eyes? When will John officially declare his feelings of friendship for his DRN buddy? Do the noodles make you hungry?
Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of Season 1 Episode 4 of Almost Human, “The Bends”!