The Marshals season 2 premiere answered a lot of questions left lingering from season 1. It was a pulse-pounding hour that got us a lot of answers.
In Marshals season 2 episode 2, “End of Watch," it is more about the aftermath, the case-of-the-week, and setting the stage for what’s to come. We have more time for personal revelations.
Personal issues
Everyone on the team is dealing with something. For Cal (Logan Marshall-Green), it’s his cancer diagnosis and trying to mend fences with Maddie (Morgan Lindholm). As we start out, it seems that the latter is going better. They are enjoying coffee and sharing stories about their lives. But Cal still isn’t ready to tell her about his condition or his real reason for his trip to Utah.
Belle (Arielle Kebbel) urges him to be more forthcoming. He weighs the options, especially since he’s about to start treatment. After a harrowing case, he has a bit of a change of heart. Cal calls the team together and lets them know about his diagnosis. Everyone is supportive, but Miles (Tatanka Means) sees it as an opportunity.
Miles isn’t enjoying being on desk duty. He wants Cal to tell Maddie about what’s going on, but Cal’s not ready. That’s especially true seeing how relieved that Maddie is to see them both unhurt. So, Miles agrees to keep the secret if Cal puts him back in the field. Reluctantly, he agrees.
For Belle, the struggles are at home. After getting banged up last week, her son had questions. His questions and concerns were enough to keep her from accompanying Cal to Utah. It’s also pulling more of her attention to home. The question is whether it will make her more cautious, or too cautious, on the job.
Kayce (Luke Grimes) is being extra cautious about his home, too. After the events at East Camp, he’s tightening security, and Cruz (Ash Santos), who stayed in large part thanks to Kayce, is there to help. But Kayce doesn’t have time for a new romance, as he’s worried about Tate (Brecken Merrill). His son has been through a lot, and while he seems to be handling it okay, Kayce is worried about the long-term effects.
Kayce spends much of the hour wondering if he’s ruined his son and if he’s becoming his father. Chairman Rainwater (Gil Birmingham), who helps to clean up and restore East Camp, offers some solace. He tells Kayce he’s a good father and a good man and that he’s not worried about Tate’s future.
Case-of-the-week
Meanwhile, there is also a case in the midst of all this. At the outset, we meet Wayne Plummer (Rob Mars), who is a disgruntled former cop. He’s determined to settle some old scores after being bounced from a number of agencies. The final straw seems to be that his son, Boone (Ryan Paynter), has also been blocked from joining, likely because of Wayne’s past. So, he’s taking out the colleagues and supervisors that ended his career.
That puts the team hot on his trail. It’s a fraught journey as Belle steps on a pressure plate serving a warrant. Kayce is able to disarm it, but it gives them all a scare. When Wayne shows up and takes a shot at Harry (Brett Cullen), Cal urges them to delay the ceremony honoring the first dead officer. Harry dismisses the concern.
The team continues to track Wayne Plummer, discovering that he’s planning to use the dignified transfer as a shooting gallery. Worse yet, Harry was the first supervisor to dismiss Wayne from his post, a fact he withheld from the team. The team arrives just as shots ring out. Harry is hit, but it finds his vest.
Meanwhile, Wayne isn’t alone this time. His son is serving as a second shooter. The team manages to get free, with Cal and Belle avoiding traps and taking Wayne out. That leaves Kayce and Cruz to confront Boone, who gives up without firing on the Marshals. The threat is put down, but Cal isn’t pleased with Harry’s dishonesty.
Harry acknowledges that he should have been more forthcoming. He shares his guilt since he was the one who quashed Boone’s application. But he says he trusts this team and pledges to do better in the future.
Thoughts on this week’s episode
I like the mix of the case-of-the-week and some more personal drama. There are a lot of storylines here and a lot of interesting characters. I like that we’re diving in more to this team and their lives away from work. The blend of action and human drama works and is helping this to grow into a fun weekly watch.
Marshals airs Sundays on CBS and streams the next day on Paramount+. Check back next week as we recap all the action of the season.
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