Summer sleuthing: The Firm season 1, episode 9 rewatch

Watch NBC’s The Firm season 1, episode 9 starring Josh Lucas.

With TV crime dramas winding down their seasons, what should genre fans watch over the summer? In our Summer Sleuthing series we’re going back to old favorites, starting with one you probably missed the first time: NBC‘s The Firm.

The Firm was largely ignored when it premiered in 2012. It was a follow-up to the John Grisham movie of the same name, with Josh Lucas assuming the role of lawyer Mitch McDeere. But it was not a lawyer show; it was a crime thriller with strong performances and a few plot twists.

Every week we’ll revisit an episode from The Firm‘s first (and only) season. You can rewatch the entire series on Tubi. This week, we open the book on Episode 9.

The Firm season 1, episode 7: “Chapter Nine” (originally aired March 3, 2012)

After severely dragging with the previous episode, The Firm gets back on its horse with “Chapter Nine,” which plunges Mitch McDeere (Josh Lucas) into matters of national security.

Army Sergeant Leonard Debs (the always fantastic Roger Cross of Motive—the second Motive series regular to appear on the show—and 24 fame) convinces Mitch to look into the murder of his son Rashad. With no body being located, and the payphone that Rashad called him from wiped clean, Leonard is convinced there’s a conspiracy at work. And the McDeere brothers know a thing or two about conspiracies.

Debs’ theory gains credence when Mitch and the detective who interrogated him earlier, Quinn (guest star Ari Cohen) are held at gunpoint while poking around the crime scene. He’s in charge of the brothel nearby and one of the ladies there confirms that Rashad was shot.

Plus, a hidden key at the family home leads the brothers to a storage locker full of cocaine and guns, as well as a laptop full of terrorist propaganda.

The Firm has Mitch file a Freedom of Information Act request to learn more, which prompts an immediate showdown with the federal government. Mitch’s U.S. Marshals contact Lewis Coleman (recurring guest star Paulino Nunes) drops a DVD on his doorstep that suggests Rashad was on a government “kill list” of terrorists.

Watching Mitch take on Big Government is entertaining, carried by the performances of Roger Cross and Josh Lucas. Cross is excellent in quietly showcasing Leonard’s grief, while he maintains the stoic front of a loyal soldier. And this episode of The Firm is the most audiences have yet to see Mitch unravel, as he’s got a fire lit under him at the idea of the government messing with somebody else.

This is when the show is at its best: when it’s driven by characters, and the character of its hero, what he’s doing and what it means, instead of just whatever’s happening to him.

However, there are some flaws here; the whole opening sequence is bewildering. Mitch and Ray are leaving a sporting event, and Kinross & Clark have arranged for a limo to take them home. Mitch somehow thinks it’s a good idea to talk about his suspicions regarding the firm while getting into said limo—where he’s most likely to be overheard.

The Firm then reveals that the limo driver was knocked out during the game and was replaced by somebody else (who turns out to be Sergeant Debs). How do neither Mitch nor Ray look at the driver when he opens the door for them, or listen to his voice when he speaks, and realize it’s not the same guy who dropped them off a few hours ago? They should be much smarter than that.

Next. What happened in The Firm episode 8?. dark

The Firm is available to stream on Tubi and Amazon Video, and available for purchase on iTunes and DVD.

Home/TV Crime Dramas