‘Criminal Record’ Preps for the Moment “When the Music Stops”

Good news, everyone! JP, who did not die, is groaning in agony in the cold open of Criminal Record Episode 6, “When the Music Stops.” As far as I can tell, that’s the entire purpose of the first part of the cold open – JP is alive, and June is driving him the heck out of there. The rest of it is more important, plot-wise, as Billy realizes that Hegarty has been lying to him the whole time – not about the detonators or the mission, but about the team’s ability to keep him safe.

When push came to shove, Kim walked away rather than rescue him, and JP nearly got himself killed in a pathetic attempt. (For a second time, we should note!) If Billy is going to get out of this alive, he needs to follow his instincts; thus far, they’ve served him well. He turns off the phone, killing the team’s ability to track him and effectively going dark as the series rounds into its final third.

If you haven’t watched Season 1 of Criminal Record, the first main scene after the opening credits probably won’t feel nearly as cathartic as it does for those who sat through an entire season of Shaun Dooley’s Kim being a racist, misogynistic, homophobic toad. However, for those of us who have been waiting for the Hegarty and Kim duo to be knocked down to the bottom rung, this scene is delicious. When Mullins refused to read his prepared statement in favor of forcing Kim to lie to her face, I fist-pumped. When she snapped at him to stop looking at Hegarty – and he couldn’t help himself from doing it with every lie, even after she told him to stop – I cackled.