East New York Season 1 Episode 18 Review: In the Bag
Regina learned the hard way to be careful about what she wishes for.
She’s wanted answers about her father’s abrupt departure from the force and her life, and she got them on East New York Season 1 Episode 18.
But now she’s seen things she can’t unsee, and she’s on the outs with her dad again mere months after allowing him back into her life.
The revelation that her father was sleeping with a prostitute instead of celebrating her sixteenth birthday sucked for Regina in many ways.
Not only did she learn the real reason he hadn’t been around, but the discovery came after she sacrificed a ton to help clear his name.
Regina put aside all her other work, risked getting into serious trouble by putting her nose into this investigation, and stayed up all night going through her dad’s stuff for clues as to what happened the night Yolo Linda was killed.
Regina: I want the truth to come out as much as you do.
Suarez: The truth has a way of coming out, but if it means your father is indicted and stands trial, so be it. But you can’t interfere.
She didn’t stop even after Suarez ordered her to leave the investigation alone, and she wasn’t around while her detectives investigated a different case.
Even after learning her father slept with prostitutes, she fought for him. She tracked down the only surviving woman from the three in that photo and offered to help protect her from anyone who tried to intimidate her.
Talk about going above and beyond!
Thanks to Regina’s help, Kurt Walsh went to jail, and Mo Haywood remained unindicted. That felt like a quick resolution to an arc building all season.
But in reality, it wasn’t quick because it wasn’t over. Regina effectively disowned her father — again. But I’d be surprised if he stopped trying to get back on her good side.
It’s hard to piece together what happened back in the day. Regina seemed to think that her father coerced Angela and the other prostitutes into having sex with him in exchange for their freedom, but Angela described him as a “good person” who always helped bail her out when she was arrested.
If Regina’s version of events is correct, her father engaged in multiple acts of sexual assault. But good luck proving that when the victim sees him as her savior.
And it’s possible she’s wrong, and he didn’t demand sex of the prostitutes. Since Regina wasn’t there, all we have to go on is Angela’s account and Regina’s beliefs about what happened, which are at odds with each other.
Still, Regina’s newfound relationship with her father crashed and burned after all these revelations, and it’ll be a while — if ever — before she gives him a third chance.
Who will she turn to as she processes this? She shut Sean out of 90% of what was going on and didn’t tell him about the photo before running off to confront her father, and her relationship with Suarez is rocky most of the time.
Regina’s always been closed off and has few people she trusts. Hopefully, she’ll at least tell her therapist about this.
It felt like she was spending too much time on her father’s case. She was barely in the precinct and kept leaving to deal with one aspect or another of that investigation.
That could have gone badly for her. If her detectives needed her help with the case they were working or the higher-ups noticed she was absent from her job duties, she could have gotten in significant trouble.
Who else wanted to punch that teacher that barred Morales from Career Day after she’d already promised her son she’d be there?
Yes, some people hate all cops and don’t want their kids exposed to them, but that didn’t make the teacher’s behavior acceptable.
The teacher didn’t care that Sebastian would be disappointed or that she made it look like he couldn’t trust his mother’s word.
And how did she say straight-faced that she had to promote inclusivity by leaving out cops?
I also didn’t appreciate her suggesting that people would be “triggered” by cops. That term describes what happens to people with PTSD when reminded of their trauma, and people shouldn’t use it so cavalierly.
Teacher: I hope that someday policing will become less polarizing and the policeman can take their place among the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker. That is the kind of society I want ot live in.
Morales: You tell my son I was bumped for the candlestick maker. And when he gets home, I’ll tell him the truth.
Granted, some people might have PTSD responses to seeing a cop if they’ve had bad experiences, but I doubt that’s what this lady meant.
I don’t know why Killian thought it had anything to do with the school being full of rich white kids from the Upper East Side. Many people in East New York don’t like or trust cops, either.
That’s why Regina’s reforms — she wants the cops to be part of the surrounding community instead of at war with it.
Morales was right that it was lucky for them that Carl turned out to be a fake cop. The police don’t need any more negative publicity.
I assumed he had something to do with the robbery as soon as he showed up by the barrier offering unsolicited advice. He seemed too invested in the case to be a random passer-by.
Carl had a mental disorder that governed his behavior.
It’s too bad he couldn’t stick to helping old ladies cross the road and other helpful behavior.
He had it in him to be a helpful member of society, but his need to find a stolen violin and get credit for it caused him to become violent.
Your turn, East New York fanatics! What did you think about the series’ return episode after a two-week hiatus?
Hit the big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know.
Don’t forget to watch East New York online.
East New York airs on CBS on Sundays at 9 PM EST / PST.
Jack Ori is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. His debut young adult novel, Reinventing Hannah, is available on Amazon. Follow him on Twitter.
