Shots Fired | Betrayal of Trust | Season 1 | Episode 2

The father of Jesse Carr (Jacob Leinbach) shows up at Deputy Beck’s (Tristan Mack Wilds) house with the intention of killing him. He pulls a gun on him and just as quick Joshua pulls his own gun. The two have an intense stand-off where Joshua orders him to drop the gun. Joshua remains calm and shows empathy towards the dad, letting him know he doesn’t know what it’s like to lose a son, but if the father wants to know what really happened they can sit down and talk.

The dad places the gun on the ground and says that he already knows what really happened.

Disclaimer: I was watching the Venus Williams vs. Angelique Kerber tennis match before the show came on, and accidentally hit changed the channel back to ESPN. I was praying this was a dream scene, because if a black father rolled up on a white officer who murdered his son, he would have been dead before he reached the sidewalk, let alone raised a gun.

Ashe (Sanaa Lathan) is on the phone with someone and is upset that Javier (Angel Bonanni) isn’t willing to back down on the custody suit.

Preston (Stephan James) goes to the neighborhood looking for Cory (Marqus Clae) but comes across another guy spray painting a mural on the front of a house. When he asks who is in the mural, he says Joey Campbell (Kelvin Harrison Jr.). Preston then asks what he thinks happened to Joey and the teen walks away, gets on a bicycle and rides off.

It’s the day of Jesse’s funeral and Deputy Beck is still in his uniform either just coming in from work or getting ready to leave. The news coverage goes to the leaked video. One of Deputy Beck’s sons asks why all the reporters are outside and he says because he is famous.

At the funeral, which is being televised, the governor (Helen Hunt) and her staff, Pastor Janae (Aisha Hinds) and others arrive. Preston and Ashe are in the car discussing the case and Ashe is still more focused on the cover-up of Joey Campbell’s death, while Preston is focused on who leaked the video of Deputy Beck.

Following the funeral the governor’s aide lets Preston know the governor wants to speak with her him in private. When Ashe tries to follow the aide lets her know, only Preston. Ashe catches that the aide referred to him as Preston and not Mr. Terry, and points it out to the aide.

In the vehicle the governor is looking for answers but Preston lets her know it isn’t that easy. She also invites Preston to a dinner at the governor’s mansion. Preston declines stating that his dad is coming to visit, but the governor states he can come also.

Pastor Janae is being interviewed by the media and she mentions that although she empathizes with the Carr family, the governor needs to be just as concerned about the death of Joey Campbell, whose murder is not being investigated.

Ashe shows up at a football game and confronts Lieutenant Breeland (Stephen Moyer) who is the officer that came to Shemeeka Campbell’s (DeWanda Wise) home. He says that the mother knew Joey was dealing drugs and he just wanted to scare her straight.

At the station Beck is confronted by a white cop named Deputy Euklund (Greg Sproles) about the video where he states he wants to kill crackers. The two get into a scuffle but are separated by another officer, Deputy Caleb Brooks (Beau Knapp).

Preston’s dad (Dennis Haysbert) arrives for a visit. At the hotel, Maceo (Shamier Anderson) shows up full of life. Maceo and the dad head off to breakfast leaving Preston behind.

Lieutenant Breeland’s daughter, Tess, (Brett Cooper) is in his office, he thinks she is there because his wife told her she couldn’t go to a party. However, Tess is there to confront him about telling one of the players if he didn’t block for her he would kill his black ass. She tells her dad that his statement was racist, but he says it wasn’t. Breeland then tells her that she can attend the party, and adds, so take your white ass on and have a good time.

Ashe and Preston go to a club to find a guy named Julian (Julian Brittano), who is Beck’s cousin. The video of Beck was leaked from Julian’s phone. Ashe has to threaten him with bodily harm to get him to talk, but learns that his phone was confiscated when he was arrested for jaywalking a year earlier.

Outside Preston confronts Ashe for her tactics but she lets him know that she didn’t pull her gun and to get results she has to act like a bad ass. Preston is by the books says she needs to chill because it’s his job that’s on the line if something goes wrong.

At the station they pull the police report and learn that everything was deleted from the phone. The arresting officer was Brooks, but he says he didn’t leak the video. Ashe asks who had access to the phone and he says several people, including the judge, prosecutor and other members of the sheriff’s office.

Preston attends the governor’s dinner, but his dad isn’t with him. The governor introduces him to three men, Dr. Koppel (Don A. King), and a judge who are both white, and Reverend Dupont (Al Mitchell), who is black.

It turns out the party is actually a fundraiser for a private prison complex that will have a hospital, high school, college, and other amenities. Preston can’t believe what he is witnessing. Aside from the prototype model of the massive facility, the help is walking around in butler and maid, attire.

Preston speaks to his dad and learns that he didn’t attend the dinner because Maceo had a bad game, and was feeling down. Although he was disappointed, Preston was relieved his father didn’t show after learning the real reason he was invited.

Preston goes to see the aide and shares how he felt about the governor inviting him to the dinner. He says she used him to be able to say she had a black DOJ prosecutor at the party. The aide agrees and lets him know that’s partly why he was chosen for the case. The two end up having sex again.

Maceo shows up at Ashe’s hotel room but she isn’t having it. Masceo says if she acts like a random groupie trick he’s going to treat her like one. Ashe counters that the only problem is he’s standing on the outside of her hotel room door trying to get inside. She then closes the door in his face.

The governor meets with Reverend Dupont to discuss Pastor Janae. He tells her Pastor Janae isn’t relevant but the governor points out her social media numbers say otherwise. She needs the reverend to discredit Pastor Janae.

Reverend Dupont shows up at a rally and confronts Pastor Janae, saying if it wasn’t for him she would still be drinking from the colored’s only fountain. He asks if he can pray with her but before he could get two words out Pastor Janae takes over and goes in to an impassioned prayer. Afterwards he tells her leading prayer is one thing, leading people is another.

Beck and Brooks go after Julian to question him about the video. When they catch-up with him Julian says he didn’t release the video but adds that Beck deserves whatever he gets, for being a sell-out.

Preston goes to see Sheriff Platt to inquire about Cory being missing. It is apparent that he is aware of what’s going on and is concealing information that could help the case.

Ashe goes to visit Shemeeka to ask her about any witnesses to Joey’s death. She tells her about someone named Kiana Ward (Antonique Smith), but she has since moved without notice and no one knows where she went.

Ashe calls about Javier again and learns there is a court date set regarding the altercation between her and Javier’s girlfriend. He tells her that she needs to get back home and show she is getting help for her anger issues or she may lose the case.

Preston meets his dad and the two get into a discussion about him choosing law over baseball. The dad says that although he is proud of Preston, the suit and tie was supposed to come after baseball and after he won a World Series. It is apparent that Preston was the better and more promising ball player between him and Maceo. The fact that the father had more faith in Preston may explain why Maceo is so messed up, emotionally.

Working on their story board, Preston and Ashe try to build their case. Preston shows Ashe he isn’t as dumb as she thinks he is and he has moves too. He is on top of everything she is doing and not feeling the need to run what he’s doing past her.

Ashe is willing to work together on both cases and the two agree to stop going behind each other’s backs. She says she thinks Beck's a good cop in a bad department and wants to approach the case from that angle.

The two decide to go out and canvas the neighborhood. They talk to a young woman about Joey Campbell and she tells them to go see Pastor Janae. We get our first hint that Pastor Janae may be a regulator in the hood and behind some other activity that isn’t too Godly.

Sheriff Platt goes to the Beck’s house for dinner. Joshua thinks he actually cares, but he is really there to tell him that the union won’t be covering his legal fees because of the video. However, he should look at the bright side…he still has a job.

The show ends with a group of white kids gathered around a curbside memorial for Jesse, and in a juxtaposition, Preston and Ashe are looking at the finished mural of Joey.

Let me know what you thought of the episode, below. Also, please subscribe to the blog as well as my YouTube channel.

Love & Blessings,

Tracy

Tracy L. Darity is the author of three novels, He Loves Me He Loves Me Not!, Love...Like Snow in Florida on a Hot Summer Day, and The Red Bear Society. Available in print and e-book. To learn more, visit www.TracyLDarity.com or Amazon.com

 

 

 

Fox Series Shots Fired | Pilot | Season 1 | Series Premiere

In a North Carolina town a tow truck pulls up as a black cop shoots a white guy in what looks like a predominately black neighborhood. He calls for back-up and interestingly all white officers arrive. When they tell the crowd to back up all the bystanders put their arms up in air.

The scene goes to a baseball game and then to three men watching the game on a TV monitor. In the room is Juliann Carroll (Mike Pniewski), Preston Terry (Stephan James), and one other guy. They are federal prosecutors in the civil rights division, and Carroll is the head. The DOJ has called for a federal probe into the shooting and Preston, a fresh young lawyer, is being assigned the task of getting to the bottom of what happened.

Carroll pretty much tells Preston to go clear the cop, but he replies that he takes his oath seriously and states he will do the job with integrity because “My truth has no color.”

 Ashe Akino (Sanaa Latham) must be the angry black woman. She has a daughter by a Latino guy named Javier and she is on ten when his girlfriend yells at the kids. She confronts the woman and ends up throwing a vase at the poor woman. The father, Javier, pulls Ashe out of the house and tells her she needs to check her anger.

 Ashe meets Preston at the airport and he immediately lets her know he is her boss. Oh this is going to be good cop, bad cop. The governor’s aide comes in and introduces herself. She lets the duo know the governor would like to speak with them and then leads the way to a SUV where the governor is waiting.

Governor Patricia Eamons (Helen Hunt) wants them to wrap this thing up quick with a pretty black bow. As she is speaking it is apparent that she doesn’t have much use for Ashe and acts as if she isn’t in the vehicle too.

Preston and Ashe go to the police station and the camera pans around to a predominantly white force. Everyone is looking at them like what the hell are they doing there and not in handcuffs being interrogated. In an interview with Deputy Joshua Beck (Tristan Mack Wilds), Ashe shares her experience of her first shots fired. She is wrestling with a teen when her partner/trainer yells “gun.” She shoots the suspect, which turns out to be a 17 year-old black kid, and realizes that he only had a cell phone. She was cleared of all charges because she said she legitimately feared for her life.

Deputy Beck explains that it was a traffic stop and he asked the victim, Jesse Carr (Jacob Leinbach) to get out. When he was getting out the car Jesse reached for his gun and had his hand on it. Beck says he grabbed the gun and shot him four times. He also adds that Carr had marijuana in the vehicle but it was found afterwards. Don’t they always?

They were racially profiling him because he was white and in a black neighborhood which, according the deputy, means trouble. Beck shuts down and asks for the union rep when Preston questions the profiling.

Outside, Ashe tells Preston his interview style was a rookie move and going forward he should let her do the interviews. At the crime scene Preston and Ashe talk to witnesses and it is all fun and games with the citizens who can’t believe they are cops. One kid named Clay (Marqus Clae) tells them that no one has answers because they aren’t asking the right questions. Two cop cars pull up at the end of the street and the witnesses run off.

Ashe and Preston go to talk to the victim’s mom, Alicia Carr (Jill Hennessy) and she is reasonably angry. She says her son didn’t do drugs and would never pull a gun on anyone…he was a great kid. She is ironing a shirt she said he would never wear, but she had to go buy it because he only owned t-shirts. Preston express sympathy for her loss, but she says her son was not lost he was murdered.

The scene goes to the home of Deputy Beck and an activist, Pastor Jenae James (Aisha Hinds) is there speaking to him and his wife Kerry (Clare-Hope Ashitey) about attending a meeting at her church where he can give his side of the story.

The governor holds a press conference and she gives the typical statements as she introduces Preston. The reporters in return are asking the typical questions after a racially charged shooting. Pastor Jenae wants to know why they sent black prosecutors to investigate the shooting when black men are being killed by white cops and nothing is ever done.

Preston gives a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (esque) speech and admits that the cavalry has come in because it was a black cop killing a white guy but he is there for justice. He sees the race issue but he is there to seek the truth and ensure justice is served.

The governor’s aide comes over to let Preston know he just made her life hell with his speech.

Ashe and Preston are at the bar and she lets him know she was surprised by his speech. He tells her she doesn’t know him well enough to be surprised. She also tells him she thought he was gay too. Preston says Michelle Obama is his type after Ashe says she is every man’s type. They agree to get along and began to talk about her shooting story.

Ashes then asked him if he believed half of what he said in his speech and he said “half” as he left the table.

Preston goes back to the neighborhood to look for Clay. Clay tells him to go look for a camera in front of some lady’s house and says the house number is 308. He then leads Preston to the house and rides off on his bike. When Preston gets out of the car he is jumped by two guys.

The following day when Ashe learns Preston went looking for Clay she is pissed off and tells him to stop doing her job. She decides to go back to the house and talk to the woman who lives there.

Her name is Shameeka Campbell (DeWanda Wise). She lets them in when they say they are with the DOJ. Shameeka is enamored with Preston but when Ashe goes full throttle she shuts down. Ashe changes her tone and asks about her son. It turns out her son was killed and nothing was ever done. However, the police came in threatening her with charges after they allegedly found marijuana in his room. They also told her if she doesn’t be careful they will have her kids taken from her. People in the neighborhood told her the police were involved with her son’s death.

Preston and Ashe are now at odds about what they should do with the information. Ashe shows up at the police department later that evening and asks some of the officers where is choir practice. They end up at a bar having drinks. It’s all laughs until she starts asking questions. They turn the tables and ask her about her officer involved shooting and how is it she killed an unarmed teen and still has a job. Ashe asks about the neighborhood where the shooting took place. Suddenly a process server walks up and serves her with custody papers.

In her car Ashe is pleading with Javier not to seek sole custody, saying her daughter is the only thing in her life that makes sense, but he says he has to do what he thinks is best for their daughter.

Preston and Ashe meet with Preston’s brother Maceo (Shamier Anderson) who is a professional baseball player, and he wants to get some get back for Preston getting jumped. He and Ashe flirt a few minutes and then Preston and the brother go at each other about who is really fighting for the cause of black folks. He tells his brother making tweets to his one million followers on social media isn’t quite social consciousness. Preston decides to leave but Ashe says she’s staying to eat her $50 steak.

Preston shows up at the hotel room of the governor’s aide with a bottle of wine. She has buyer’s remorse afterwards when a video of Deputy Beck surfaces where he makes inflammatory comments about becoming a cop to shoot white people.

Ashe is flirting with the brother and he tells her if he smashes it he won’t respect her in the morning. She says she isn’t looking for respect, to which he replies that he thinks he is catching feelings for her. Ashe tells him he is acting like a bitch, something you probably don’t want to say to man, especially a black one. Maceo then feels the need to prove his manhood and they get busy in the back of his limo.

Deputy Beck’s superior, Sheriff Platt (Will Patton), shows up at his house to discuss the video. He wants to keep him on administrative duty until after the DOJ leaves. He tells him he is a distraction and under no circumstance is he to talk to the media, and do not talk with the investigators alone. He wants Beck to follow department protocol for these type of events.

At the hotel Ashe runs into Preston leaving the aides room and they discuss the case briefly. She asks if she can ask a legal question since he’s a lawyer. The question is regarding custody and he tells her that the father would need to prove the mother was unfit or a danger to the child. Before heading to his room Preston tells her that last night didn’t mean anything for him (referring to Maceo), and she replies that it didn’t mean anything to her either. Shaking my damn head.

It’s the day of the rally at Pastor Jenae’s church. She calls up Shameeka Campbell and then Alicia Carr and tries to unite the community to demand justice for both of their sons, regardless of race. The mothers embrace and the audience begins to applaud.

Ashe gets a call and it is from Carroll letting them know he got a call from the governor.

The show ends with Preston in a batting cage, Ashe in her room pinning pictures to a wall, Deputy Beck looking at the obituary for Joey Campbell (Kelvin Harrison Jr.); and Clay being chased by several cars while on his bicycle. He jumps off the bicycle and starts running on foot, the guys get out of the cars and chase him, but he crawls under a house and the show ends. It is worth mentioning that these look to be the same guys who jumped Preston earlier in the show.

Let me know what you thought of the episode, below. Also, please subscribe to the blog as well as my YouTube channel.

Love & Blessings,

Tracy

Tracy L. Darity is the author of three novels, He Loves Me He Loves Me Not!, Love...Like Snow in Florida on a Hot Summer Day, and The Red Bear Society. Available in print and e-book. To learn more, visit www.TracyLDarity.com or Amazon.com