‘Tommy’ Series Review: Top 7 moments of the CBS crime drama that kept us glued to our seats
Three months and 12 episodes later, CBS’s popular drama featuring Edie Falco came to an end. All this while, we had expected for the show to go and but unfortunately, the series has been cut short and canceled by the network.
And as, Chief Abigail Thomas’s (Edie Falco) journey as LAPD chief ends with a hard-hitting, final chapter, we take a look back into the last few months and the seven best moments of the show that really made it all worthwhile.
For starters, the idea of featuring the first female chief of LAPD as the central character was unconventional in every definition of the character. Although it scored a few points right away for being a female-led crime drama, what really stood out was how Abigail Thomas, aka, Tommy was introduced to the story. Without much ado or dramatic entry, we met Chief Thomas, a senior police officer from NYPD, transferred to the sunny Los Angeles. Her character was established right away as the no-nonsense woman who stays focused on doing her job right.
This brings us next to the scripting of the show. Every episode was designed to be relevant real-life situations as they are happening around us. This made the story more relatable and in tandem with the present day. Despite being fictional incidents, one could clearly see through the challenges the society faces as a whole.
In Episode 2 ‘There Are No Strangers Here’ struck it hard by addressing mental health issues of people in the police service. Most often than not, crime procedurals and cop dramas, portray officers and detectives as the ultimate persona of strength and confidence. But exploring their vulnerability and bringing their weaknesses to light was one of the highlights of the ‘Tommy’.
The show also managed to point out how people are inhibited in approaching the police and their inherent fear towards officers of the law. This was clear in Episode 5 and how fans reacted to the plotline. The fear of cops has been a very pertinent issue that the society faces, more so in present times.
Another interesting angle the show had explored was Tommy’s relationship with the city mayor. Typically in such crime dramas, the antagonist is always in opposition of the hero or the one standing up for justice and would make it difficult for the latter to seek truth and achieve their goals. But Mayor Buddy Gray (Thomas Sadoski) is on neither extreme and that makes his relationship with Tommy a constant up and down of trust and power-play, without getting at each other’s throats.
It’s not very often that one sees a mentor-mentee chemistry evolving between a police chief and his/her security officer. The relationship between Chief Thomas and her security detail, Abner Diaz (Vladimir Camano) makes for a very refreshing angle, especially Episode 6 onward. We have seen many chiefs and their staffs in politics, law and order, and public services. The evolution of Abner Diaz from a cop with a rough past and discouraged from the service to finding himself back in his elements with his chief’s help and support speaks volumes of the depth of both Tommy and Diaz’s characters.
Last, but not the least, the show has been an unabashed portrayal of the challenges women face at different levels across workplaces; from racism to sexism, social discrimination, sexual harassment, and dirty work politics, ‘Tommy’ has managed to shed light on issues that persist in spite of living in an evolved, modern society. To put simply, ‘Tommy’ has been a woke and present in its very concept and plotline and an inspiration to drive changes within the society as we see it at present.
If you are yet to catch up on the previous episodes, all episodes are available on CBS All Access.
‘Tommy’ Episode 12, series finale aired on Thursday, May 7, 10pm/9c, on CBS.