Overall: 9.8
This is an hour long expression of profound faith in the mercy of God -- and one of Early Edition's greatest episodes besides.
Plot Synopsis:
When Gary pushes a man out of the way of an oncoming truck, he is shocked to discover that he has just saved an ex-con named John Hernandez - and that Hernandez intends to kill the prosecutor who put him away ten years ago. Back at McGinty's, Gary wonders out loud why the paper would send him out to save a seemingly hardened criminal. But there is little time for philosophical reflection, as Gary now has to save Rachel Stone, Hernandez' target.
While Chuck waits with the car outside, Gary heads into the DA's office. When he hears from the secretary at the door that another individual has demanded to see Stone without an appointment, he rushes past the guards. Upstairs, he spots Hernandez in the hallway outside Stone's office and chases him into the back stairwell. Gary pleads with Hernandez to reconsider killing Stone, but before Hernandez makes a decision either way, security arrives and carts Gary away. In Stone's office, Gary tries to convince the prosecutor that someone is after her; in the meantime, Hernandez escapes, clocks Chuck, and makes off with Chuck's car. When Gary is finally released, he finds Chuck unconscious in the street in a pool of his own blood.
Gary and Marissa spend a night sleeping in the hospital waiting room. The following morning, Cat arrives with the paper, but Gary refuses to look at it. Instead, he takes to Marissa to see how Chuck is doing and discovers to his horror that Chuck has taken a turn for the worse during the night and needs to go back into surgery. While Gary and Marissa wait for news, Marissa urges Gary to deal with the paper, assuring him that she can take care of Chuck in the meantime. Gary finally glances at the headlines and learns that Hernandez now intends to kill Stone in her home. He tells Marissa to call the police and rushes to the Stone residence, arriving just in time to stop Hernandez from pulling the trigger. Hernandez takes Gary and Stone hostage.
Back at the hospital, Marissa hears the Channel 2 news report on the hostage situation unfolding at the Stone residence and alerts Crumb. Crumb is (amusingly) annoyed that Gary has gotten himself into trouble yet again, but he joins the police force already assembled at Stone's home and agrees to serve as the negotiator. Crumb stalls Hernandez, promising a new van and some cash if he lets his hostages go. Inside, Gary does his part by attempting to keep the rapidly unraveling Hernandez calm.
Then Stone distracts Hernandez by asking for a drink. Hernandez turns his back to look through Stone's bar. Gary manages to catch a glimpse of the paper and discovers that Stone and Hernandez are going to kill each other. He stops Stone before she shoots Hernandez with her personal weapon. Neither Stone nor Hernandez can believe what Gary has just done. Hernandez tells Gary that if he were in Gary's place, he would've let Stone take her shot. "Well, you're not me, are you?" Gary responds. At that point, Crumb calls the house again. He tries to pull Hernandez into a conversation about the requested van, but Hernandez flips out and slams the phone onto the receiver. Outside, the police get the snipers ready.
Gary can see that Hernandez is on the edge of losing it completely, but he manages to convince the ex-con to take Stone's van, then offers himself in Stone's place as Hernandez' "insurance." Outside, Leon gets ready to follow Gary and Hernandez, but Crumb urges him to stay back and trust in Gary's ability to find a way out. On the way to the train yard, Hernandez reveals that he intends to let Gary go as soon as his escape is assured. Here, it becomes apparent that beneath all of Hernandez' anger is a feeling a remorse. He says that he will never be able to undo what he did ten years ago and asks Gary to pass judgment on his humanity. Gary tells Hernandez that he still has a choice.
At the train yard, Hernandez trains his gun on Gary and orders him to stay put. But Gary hears a cry for help and goes running. A kid's foot is caught in the tracks. Gary tries his best to dislodge the boy's foot, but has no success. Then Hernandez, surprisingly, appears with a crow bar and saves the day. Unfortunately, the ex-con has no time to get off the tracks before he is hit by a passing train. When Gary returns to the hospital and learns that Chuck has survived his injuries, he is left to ponder God's mysterious ways.
The Skinny:
Stephanie S. - The other day, Mom made an interesting observation: she remarked that she was unsure what Dad's recent illness has done for her, but acknowledged that she has since grown closer to her mother as a result. "Mom and I have always had some things in common," Mom said, "but now we both know what it's like to take care of an ailing spouse." Often, we suffer - and just as often, we are left wondering what purpose such suffering serves. This episode of Early Edition - one of the finest of the series - echoes my mother's faithful assurance that, in Chuck's words, "things happen for a reason." That reason may not always be immediately apparent, but it exists, and it is benevolent.
Throughout the series, Gary is asked to take many leaps of faith. What sets the leap of faith in this episode apart from the rest is the fact that Gary is given every reason in the world not to take it. Writer David T. Levinson challenges Gary as he has never been challenged before by putting Chuck in critical condition and Gary's own life in genuine danger. And thanks to Kyle Chandler's outstanding performance, we can see these assaults wearing Gary down. We see Gary folded in on himself. We see him exhausted and doubting. And yet we see him muster his strength and his trust to do what he's been called to do despite his doubts. Any person who has experienced a dark night of the soul should find much that is poignant and relatable in Gary's journey here - and he should find Marissa's parallel struggles equally touching.
The faith on display in this episode is a mature, Biblical faith. It doesn't presuppose that we will never know pain and heartache, and it presents a Christian view of God's forgiveness that, granted, is extraordinarily difficult for most of us to accept. John Hernandez killed a man who was walking away from him - and very nearly kills Chuck - but at the end of the episode, he leaves this world redeemed. Can it really be this easy? The Bible tells us that it can - that God's mercy is that powerful and all-encompassing. It is to Levinson's eternal credit that he goes all the way with this message - that he doesn't play it safe.
SABR Matt -
The key to this episode is Chuck...(again!)...KC and his one-day co-star (Hernandez) are fabulous and the rest of the regulars do their part admirably, but the thing that makes the message land so perfectly on the ear is that Gary's suffering is not just personal. We are exposed all the time to self-sacrificing heroes who suffer for the greater good and that's noble...but I think it's a heck of a lot harder to deal with things when choices you make hurt the people you care about (directly or indirectly)...Gary's faith probably won't ever be shaken so deeply by something befalling HIM. But let a man he saved nearly kill his best friend and steal his car...and yes, that will be much tougher to take.
Writing: 9.9/9.5
Levinson has penned an episode that is both moving and honest. The scenes in the Stone home before Hernandez' arrival are a bit twee, but the rest of the episode feels so real and raw that I can forgive that particular flaw.
SABR Matt Chimes In: Yes, this script overflows with virtue in both its' message and its' plot-based execution. EE has a natural tendency for shows to have seemingly unrelated plots dovetail together in very pleasing ways, and this is definitely one of the best examples of that.
Acting: 9.7/9.7
Kyle Chandler and Shanesia Davis are absolutely awesome in this, and 95% of the time, they are well supported by the rest of the cast.
Message: 10.0+/10.0+
If you are feeling particularly discouraged - if your faith is being challenged - you need to watch this episode, as its core message echoes Jesus' words in John 16:33: "In the world, you will have trouble, but take courage: I have conquered the world."
SABR Matt: The basic message I take from this might be just a tweak less mystical (though the Christian perspective is just as valid and helpful and I believe that as well) - the meaning of suffering is precisely what we decide it should be. You could take your suffering as evidence that there is no reason to hope for something greater. And if you do...there isn't. Or...you could assume that something positive can come from your suffering - and if you do, there's a very good chance that you will find some way to turn it into something meaningful. Words to live by...and well presented in this episode.
The Benevolent Hand:
The workings of the Benevolent Hand take center stage in this episode. It is difficult at first to understand why God should want Gary to save a convicted killer out for revenge, but by the end, we are stunned to discover that God's plans are greater than ours. If Gary had followed his human instincts, Hernandez would've died unredeemed - and Stone might've died as well. But instead, Gary trusts God, and as a result, three people are "saved."
Highlights:
These highlights are pulled from peregrin anna's transcript.
GARY: So why--so why would the paper have me save a killer?
MARISSA: Well, maybe we don't know everything. Maybe there's more to it.
CHUCK: Like what? The guy's obviously a psycho.
GARY: It says here Hernandez has an arrest record a mile long: assault, robbery, there's twelve other things here. Then ten years ago he gets into a fight; he picks up a bottle, and he crushes in someone's skull.
CHUCK: Charming.
GARY: So why would the paper have me go to this particular traffic accident? (Good question.)
CHUCK: All right, tell you what--I'll wait around the corner and, uh, hey, buddy, if you're not back in ten minutes, I'm gonna send the cavalry in.
GARY: I thought you said you had things to do. You've been whining all the way over here.
CHUCK: That's just my MO. You know me, buddy. In the end, I'm always there for you, aren't I? (Given what happens later, this moment really resonates.)
MARISSA: I keep telling myself there's got to be a reason for all this.
GARY: Yeah, well, when you find out what it is, would you let me know, please? (A very understandable plea.)
MARISSA: (on the phone) Crumb? Turn on Channel Two. (Crumb punches a button on the remote.)
ANCHOR: We're live now at the 4300 block of Marion; the identity of the gunman here is unknown, as are his apparent reasons for taking the hostages.
CRUMB: Don't tell me--Hobson.
MARISSA: He went over there.
CRUMB: How does this kid manage to get in trouble every single day? (LOL!)
RACHEL: I guess I should have listened to you the other day, huh?
HERNANDEZ: Yeah, I guess you should have listened to him the other day. How do you know so much? How do you know so much about me, huh? What are you, some kind of a supercop?
GARY: Friend of mine's a parole officer. He, uh, mentioned that you were getting out and that, uh, someone ought to keep an eye on you.
HERNANDEZ: Good guess. (That was actually a pretty good lie on the fly there, Gary.)
GARY: Listen, why don't you put the gun down and we talk about this, huh?
HERNANDEZ: I'm talking now, okay? And you shut your face, you shut your face or I shut it for you. You got that? (to Rachel) The charge was manslaughter. You made it second degree murder.
RACHEL: He had his back turned. He was walking away.
HERNANDEZ: Oh, come on, you believe those lying witnesses?
RACHEL: I believe the coroner's report. You struck a defenseless man from behind. I call that murder.
HERNANDEZ: That was no murder, and that was not worth no ten years.
RACHEL: Not according to the court.
(Hernandez grabs her by the jacket, hauls her off the couch, and holds the gun at her neck.)
HERNANDEZ: This is no court, all right? There's no judge, no jury, and I'm in charge, you got that?
GARY: (stands) Hey, what are you blaming her for? She didn't kill anyone; it was you!
(Hernandez shoves Rachel away and goes after Gary, pushing him down on the floor. Gary lands on his back. Hernandez has the gun in his face.)
HERNANDEZ: You wanna die, huh? You wanna die?
GARY: No, do you? 'Cause you shoot her, you might as well shoot yourself. Is that what you want?
HERNANDEZ: You don't understand. (He turns and walks toward Rachel, pointing the gun at her.) For ten years all I've been seeing is the look on this woman's face when I pull that trigger--Boom! (He mimics pulling the trigger; Rachel winces.)
GARY: That's gonna make you feel better? That's gonna make everything all right?
LEON: What do you think?
CRUMB: Keep stalling him, keep him talking. This kid Hobson, he's our, he's our joker in the deck. This kid, somehow he, he knows things--I don't know, it's, it's spooky. But with him there I think we got a chance to pull this off.
FATHER DOW: Marissa Clark?
MARISSA: Yes.
FATHER DOW: I'm Father Dow. I understand that's your friend in there.
MARISSA: Yes.
FATHER DOW: I thought perhaps you could use some company.
MARISSA: (starts to walk down the hall) Thank you, Father, but I'm not feeling very spiritual right now.
FATHER DOW: It doesn't have to be spiritual. We could just talk.
MARISSA: (pauses) Father?
FATHER DOW: Yes?
MARISSA: Father, I've always been brought up with the belief that there's a reason for everything; everything has a purpose. But I may lose two of the most important people in my life, and I can't understand why God would allow that to happen.
FATHER DOW: The world is full of mysteries, Marissa. We can't always see His purpose. That's why we need faith.
MARISSA: It's times like this it's hard not to lose faith.
FATHER DOW: Oh, I find that often, it's times like these when faith is renewed. (Wow. This right here is the core scene of the episode.)
RACHEL: Why did you do that?
HERNANDEZ: Get up! Get over there! What are you doing? You crazy? (to Gary) What are you, a guardian angel or something?
RACHEL: I had a clean shot.
GARY: You were gonna kill each other.
HERNANDEZ: If I was you, I would have let her shoot me.
GARY: Yeah, well you're not me, are you?
HERNANDEZ: We're going for a ride.
GARY: Wait, wait, wait--let her go.
HERNANDEZ: You crazy?
GARY: You can't take the both of us.
HERNANDEZ: Watch me.
GARY: Look, you--you can't cover the both of us, who's gonna drive? Look I saved your life twice already, right? All you gotta do is listen to me, you--you let her go and we use her as a decoy.
HERNANDEZ: C'mon, man, leave me alone, all right? (Phone rings.) Leave me alone! (He kicks over the phone table.)
GARY: John, don't lose it, John.
HERNANDEZ: We're getting in the car and we're getting out of here, NOW!
GARY: No, no, no, look, what we can do is, you and I, we'll go to the garage, just you and me, and I-I'll drive and you can stay out of sight, because John, if the police can't see you they can't shoot you, right?
HERNANDEZ: Look, I'm not letting her go.
GARY: Why?
HERNANDEZ: Why? She's the reason I'm here, that's why! I won't let her go!
GARY: John, you are not gonna kill her. I did not save your life so you could take another one, you understand me?
LEON: We'll box him in at the nearest intersection.
CRUMB: No, no, no--
LEON: Zeke, you got a killer holding a gun on a civilian.
CRUMB: I've seen Hobson get out of worse things than this! (Heh.)
GARY: I'm telling you, I know the cop in charge. I can get you out of this.
HERNANDEZ: Man, what do you care, man? What you going saving me for?
GARY: I've been wondering the same thing ever since you put my best friend in a coma.
HERNANDEZ: What? What are you talking about?
GARY: The guy you got the car from, that's my friend, he's in the hospital. So don't ask me why I'm helping you, 'cause I really don't know. (But he's trusting that Whoever is directing events is benevolent - and that's quite extraordinary.)
HERNANDEZ: Look, man, I can't let you go man, all right? I can't let you go, all right? Not yet. Not until I'm sure it's safe, all right?
GARY: What do you mean, you're gonna let me go?
HERNANDEZ: What the hell man, I figure I owe that to you, right?
GARY: And what are you gonna do?
HERNANDEZ: Look, man, what do you care what I'm gonna do, huh? (A beat.) You know, when I was in that court ten years ago, that guy's wife and kid, you know the guy I killed, you know I remember thinking, man, how--how can I undo that, you know, how can I bring that guy back? But you can't undo something like that, man, never. So I guess they're right, you know? I guess I am some kind of an animal. What do you think? You think I'm an animal?
GARY: You want to know what I think? I think you still got a choice.
GARY: Hey, buddy, how ya doing?
CHUCK: (weakly) Hey. How'd the Bulls do?
GARY: You gotta be kidding me.
CHUCK: I have a headache.
GARY: You want some aspirin?
CHUCK: Yeah. I need a nurse.
GARY: Blonde or brunette?
CHUCK: One of each. (LOL!)
GARY: I'll get you that.
CHUCK: Thanks, buddy. (Awww.)
CHUCK (VO): They say things happen for a reason. But that reason might not always be clear... In time, with faith, the meaning may emerge. What was, what is, what shall be. Pieces of a puzzle, falling into place.
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