Who’s Playing Whom? Review: Graceland - "Heat Run"

Season 1, Episode 3

Air Date: Thursday, June 20, 2013, 10/9c on USA

Rating: ★★★★★

How much does Briggs know?

The final seconds of “Guadalajara Dog” left many with their jaws agape when Briggs (Daniel Sunjata) drew his gun on Mike (Aaron Tveit) asking, “Who you been talking to?” Did Briggs figure everything out?

“Heat Run” picks up right where “Guadalajara Dog” left off as we find out Briggs knew exactly what he was doing. Upon entering the warehouse where Bello (Gbenga Akinnagbe) and his men were waiting to ambush them, Mike pulled his gun on Mike to create a distraction. My heart raced as Mike quickly tries to pick up on Briggs’ subtle cues as they talk their way out of a dangerous situation. I loved not only the confused, panic-stricken, yet relieved look on Mike’s face as they drive off, but their banter as well.

Mike: “You put a put a gun to my head.”

Briggs: “Two guns actually and you rolled with it. You played the part like Brando.”

During my first two reviews of Graceland, I was much more lenient than I would have been had it been an established show. I wanted it to get some traction under its feet and see how I felt. “Heat Run” is the episode I have been waiting for as it addresses some of the complaints I had.

Charlie trying to help Whistler

One of my biggest complaints has been the use of Graceland’s female cast. In “Heat Run,” all that changes when Charlie (Vanessa Ferlito) and Lauren (Scottie Thompson) are given not only more substance, but heartfelt scenes as well. I especially enjoyed the scenes between Charlie and Whistler (Chris Redman), her meth addicted criminal informant. Working with Whistler as he struggles with his addiction frustrates Charlie but it’s clear that she also cares about him, making me root for him too.

Lauren has spent the last two episodes pouting about the events that caused her partner Donnie (Clavne Crawford) to leave Graceland. She allows her emotions to cloud her judgment, which ends up putting her career and everyone else at Graceland at risk. Her day gets worse after a tracking device is found on her vehicle, presumably placed there by the Russians. Briggs is fed up with the whole situation so the DEA pulls Lauren from the house.

Briggs: “You almost got Johnny killed. You put this whole house in harm’s way, and you know what the worst part is? You used me; you played me.”

Even with the departure of Thompson, the cast still feels bloated and three episodes in, the odd man out continues to be Jakes (Brandon Jay McLaren). He doesn’t seem to be getting any work done other than perfecting his crabbiness. Paige, who was introduced in episode two, “Guadalajara Dog,” is barely seen in “Heat Run.” Speaking of being seen, what happened to Gerry (Jay Karnes)? Given that he is the FBI Supervisory Agent in charge of the agents at Graceland, you would think he would be around the house more often.

The big revelation comes when Mike puts the pieces together, realizing it was Briggs who put the tracking device under Lauren’s vehicle knowing everyone would assume it was the Russians. What really caught me off guard was how freely Briggs admits doing it to Mike during their confrontation: “Mike, I love Lauren, I do. She’s a great agent but she got reckless. She almost got Johnny killed and if she would have kept it up, she would have burnt this house. In this line of work, there are people that you need to be able to trust, people that you love. Sometimes those people let you down. When that happens in this job, they gotta go.”

What a powerful quote as it shows what Briggs is capable of doing to protect Graceland even if it means betraying one of his fellow agents. It also makes me wonder what Briggs will do if he ever finds out Mike’s true purpose at Graceland. Given everything that’s happened, I understand why Briggs did what he did to Lauren, but was it his call to make, and will his actions have any consequences?

“Heat Run” is Graceland’s strongest episode to date, which is reflected in Charlie’s growth as an agent. So far, each episode seems to give us more insight into these characters with a level of complexity not seen on most shows, making it another hit for USA Network and a fun show to watch.

For more information on Graceland, visit the official website.

Follow Graceland on Twitter.

Follow the stars of Graceland on Twitter: @DanielGRACELAND, @MannyMontana, @SwanSerinda, and @brandojay.

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Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.