Foreign Exchance
This is the episode where we meet Megan for the first time. There are many light-hearted scenes in this one, mixed in with the main plot about a bunch of bad guys seemingly gathering to set up a big job. Imagine our surprise when they decide to set up their heist in Cascade. <g>
We open with Jim razzing Simon over his new car. Jim is dressed in a dark coat, blue t-shirt Blair is wearing his red plaid jacket. The guys are at the airport to meet the new officer in some sort of exchange program with a foreign police force. Enter Megan Connor, wearing pink dingo (as Jim refers to her trimmed jacket). It's really a kind of ugly jacket in purple with this pink fuzzy collar.
Jim is making wise-cracks about Crocodile Dundee and Oz when Megan overhears. I love when she meets Blair and asks if he's in Narcotics. It's cool that the writers kept this running line through several episodes. And it's funny when Blair says he's a consultant. Megan shows she's pretty sharp by asking what kind of a consultant. When Blair tapdances, she quips she supposes she'll find out. Good prophecy and a cute exchange. I love the look on Blair's face here. It's kind of like, "Oh, crap. Somebody would have to ask!" Then she asks who "the comedian" is, looking at Jim. The entire exchange between the four of them is quite entertaining with Simon chuckling as Connor puts Jim in his place.
Unfortunately, we slide into a long, drawn-out car chase when Jim hears a car heist going down. Jim drives Simon's new car -- unfortunately, while Megan hijacks a cab and takes Blair along. I love how Blair buckles his seatbelt when Megan drives in Cascade, Aussie style. I also like how Jim totally destroys Simon's new car. The chase itself is much too long, but it is an action show, so one must deal...
Now remember this is a car heist. The bad guys steal a car, and when they fire at the cops, they have full automatic weapons. A lot of firepower for stealing a Jeep. And of course, when Simon cries over his new vehicle, Jim pats it, saying it only needs a little Bondo and a bit of paint. (FYI, this is the plasticky stuff that fills in dents and/or holes on cars. It's not a good way to fix them I think. Kind of cheap and easy to redent or crack.) It's quite funny when the door falls off when Jim smacks the hood.
At the station, Jim is wearing a dark shirt over the blue t-shirt and tan slacks. Blair has on this jogging type jacket that is navy with double stripes of white down the sleeves over a dark blue t-shirt. The office scene is the first time Megan calls Blair "Sandy". I like how Jim smirks at Blair and says, "Sandy?" Also cute when Simon gives Megan a dressing-down and she apologizes with the excuse that her enthusiasm got the best of her. Smart-mouth Blair responds that he's heard that excuse in Simon's office before. I wonder to what he does refer. Oh, and Simon, being the boss, gives Jim the job of supervising Megan until her credentials are cleared. Jim is thrilled, as you can well imagine.
Jim and Megan start snipeing at each other immediately, and Connor finally takes off. She starts an investigation on her own that the Cascade PD is unaware of, and we find out later that she's actually followed a guy clear to Cascade from Australia named Scott Bruenell (played by Methos, er, Peter Wingfield.)
The scene on the street when the guys are treating Megan to hot dogs (Mr. Tube Steak, in another appearance) starts the case. Blair is wearing a bright red corduroy jacket, a greyish-green sweater with white stripes on the chest (this is his striped wardrobe, apparently) over a white t-shirt and khakis. Jim has on his brown jacket with the black collar, a green plaid button-down shirt over a white t-shirt and those god-awful brown pants. They're talking about keeping Jim's abilities from Connor before she shows up. I like that Jim calls Blair "Sandy". So Megan shows, and we also find out that Blair hates sauerkraut, and that he likes to experiment in food. Jim claims he had freeze-dried grasshoppers in the fridge at home.
Jim spies a guy blocks away, and they take off. I like how Jim sees the guy blocks away, but when Megan questions him, he ignores her. Jim is good at ignoring what he doesn't like. I love how when they show Simon the pictures they took after following the guy, that Blair brags how he took the pictures with a disposable camera. He's very proud of himself in this scene. So they've decided that a crew is getting ready for a job, and start surveillance.
Of course, Megan does nothing Jim tells her to do, such as not to interfere with the surveillance. They're watching Bruenell (Peter looks adorable BTW) when Megan sneaks into the restaurant after Jim tells her not to. Of course, the place erupts in weapons' fire, and needless to say, Jim is pissed.
I love when Simon shows up in this bright hot pink car. Blair calls him "Huggy Bear". Jim and Megan are having a shouting match in the restaurant that one can hear clear outside. Simon breaks it up and Megan leaves. I love that Jim pulls his cell phone and calls Australia. When Blair asks is he's calling her mother, Jim replied that's a good idea!
Back in Simon's office, Jim is reamed out over the mess. What I don't like is that Megan lied about Cassidy making them during the surveillance, which wasn't true at all. This is where we find out that Connor and Bruenell have a history that she failed to disclose. He pulled a big heist in Australia where they stole millions and killed a bunch of people. Connor was lead investigator, and Bruenell made it personal by trying to kill her several times. Their case fell apart, so he took off. When Connor found out that Bruenell was heading to the states, she asked for the transfer. Simon is angry about the whole thing and pulls her credentials. After Megan leaves, Blair stands up for her in general, comparing her to Jim when he's also obfuscated more than once, and certainly made it personal. I like that Jim and Simon listen to Blair, and then they agree with him about Megan being the person who knows Bruenell the best.
Jim and Blair are ordered to take Megan back to her hotel since she's off the case. I love when Blair asks Megan not to call him Sandy, so she calls him Chief instead! Too cute. Of course, Jim has a hunch so they hang out around the hotel, waiting. Sure enough, Megan disobeys orders again and starts to sneak out. Bruenell tries to hit her on the street with full auto, obviously not caring who gets caught in the crossfire. I love how Jim hands Blair his cell and tells him to call it in, and that he knows the drill. Jim relies on Blair an awful lot, just like a "real" partner. Jim and Megan get all warm and fuzzy for a few moments before they head back to Simon's office.
Oh, and we are shown that the bad guys are interested in a Cascade power substation for some reason. The plot thickens. After much discussion, Simon reinstates Megan with full credentials after speaking to her boss. Seems she's a dedicated officer in spite of her inability to follow orders. I love when Simon reams out the troops. Since Bruenell thinks Connor is so important, she's back on the case, and to celebrate, Simon gives the newly formed team a nice pile of files to study to figure out the bad guys' next move. I do like how Blair is considered part of the team with full access to all the files and such. Nobody questions that he's there with two officers, doing the same work they are.
When the new group decides to break for a bite to eat, they go to this really swanky restaurant. The guys are definitely underdressed for this place! It's on one of the upper floors of a highrise. Jim and Connor exchange sweet words, making Blair all happy about everybody getting along. I like that Blair mentions his and Jim's first case together. Jim even calls Connor, Megan. How sweet. Yeah, right.
Jim gets a call about a homocide at the power station just before all the lights to out for blocks. Looking out the window, Jim scopes out the boundaries and they talk about what's in the darkened area worth stealing by big-time operators. Jim decides it's the mint. Not the chocolate kind; the place where money is printed. <g>
The group makes their way toward the mint in Jim's truck. Of course, the bad guys get a parking space right in front of the building and get out work cones to make it look like they're a crew for the power outage. The security guard lets the bad guys in (of course!) and they do their thing, breaking into a huge safe. When Jim and Connor get there, they snag one of the getaway drivers waiting outside. Funny how Jim lets Connor have a swipe at the guy. And I thinks it's hilarious when Jim tells Connor to stay behind him and she responds, "No, you stay behind me." What a woman. And again, Jim does a Sentinel thing that makes Connor ask the question, How do you do that? That's a couple of times already she's seen something strange going on. One thing the writers did was not make Megan a ditz. She knows something's up; but she just bides her time instead of nagging about it. Of all the women trotted out, she's the least annoying and most capable, except for the beginning when she disobeys orders many times.
Of course, when they get to the bad guys, Connor's cell phone rings. How silly! Conveniently, the bad guys have night vision goggles, but they don't have Jim! There's the obligatory shootout, and he manages to take out a few of the bad guys just as the power comes on. Bruenell is conveniently gone and now they're trying to figure out where he's gone. That's when the guard shows up and tells them about the engraving plates that are in the mint and are worth much more than the actual cash are gone. Turns out Bruenell used the entire team and never disclosed that he was going to take off (in a hang glider, no less on his own. Again Jim hears something and says Bruenell is on the roof. Again, Megan wants to know how he knows, and Blair replied that he gets really good hunches. Blair is pretty quick with the excuses.
I like when Jim and Connor surprisingly watch Bruenell fly away, Blair has an idea to get Jim away from Megan to "listen" for Bruenell as he's getting away. Of course, being the usual stupid bad guy, he's talking on a radio and mentions where he's going, which Jim hears, and which Megan asks, "Another hunch?" What is that? Four or five times Jim's used his senses that she's noticed. There is quite a tussle when Bruenell lands, and it's between Connor and Brunnell. She kicks the crap out of him, as Jim watches on, duly impressed. <g> Jim loves a gal with moxie.
I have to mention that the cop car that shows up has really cool custom wheels on it. Something you don't often see on a cop car. But then Danny and Paul have class. <g>
This tag is cute. Jim and Blair are together, as required by me, and they touch each other, another nice thing that happens quite frequently. Blair's hair looks much better in this scene than in some. It's down, but it's not as stiff as usual. He looks good in a blue-grey t-shirt and a nice two-tone light blue and navy blue windbreaker. Blair looks great in blue. Jim is wearing a dark green plaid shirt over a grey t-shirt and dark slacks. I like that Connor tells Jim he needs to exercise to hold off middle-age spread, and when Blair chuckles, she adds him in, calling him Sandbag. They razz Connor of course, but who cares what they say. They're adorable together. Jim and Blair, of course! Oh, and surprise... Megan is staying in Cascade.
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up is Neighborhood Watch
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