It’s Self-Inflicted Mind Detonators in ‘Criminal Record’s “Firestarters”

The premiere of Criminal Record Season 2 revealed the name of this season’s potential main antagonist, a man by the name of Cosmo Thompson, though it did not introduce him. The second episode, “Firestarter,” rectifies that straightaway, with a cold open featuring one of Thompson’s YouTube videos, prattling on about how important it is to seek the truth. The point of it, however, is less the monologue than the intensity of the man’s stare; he’s definitely someone who is not fully sane.

The scene then smash-cuts back to where we left off last week, with JP pulled from the canal, coughing up water, while Billy fails to run away, somehow too loyal to Hegarty to leave the scene. DS Kim Cardwell runs concussion protocol and declares him good, but Hegarty hands him to June when she arrives and tells her to take him to St Katherine’s and ask for Dr. Chakravarthi. It’s not clear if this is to remove her while he and Kim let Billy loose again or because he’s genuinely worried about JP.

JP is actually delightful, keeping himself awake by singing Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own” before talking about the Saturday riot, where it’s clear he blames himself for Rohaan’s death and not being faster to realize the Nazi counterprotestors were breaking through. June’s not comfortable with having the mirror of her own guilt held up like that.