Goals: 1) Show Celeste relinquish her control by getting in deeper with Gordon because she feels trapped; 2) Reveal Agent Taylor’s feelings of frustration because he cares about what happens to Celeste.
Episode 4 ended with Celeste being rightly unnerved by Gordon’s threat against her. She was scared. However, in episode 5 she talked herself into continuing to stonewall Agent Taylor, seemingly from a position of strength. She was so full of herself she even rebuffed Taylor in person when he reached out to her. But, here in episode 6 she is once again faced with the reality of Gordon and his threats to her well being. Although she attempts to resist writing that check, Gordon knows that she values her name and reputation above all else and will do anything to protect those things. In her mind, she has no choice but to do what he wants in order for her to get what she wants.
At FBI headquarters, Agent Taylor vigorously expresses his displeasure at the thought of Gordon cutting a deal while Celeste is left holding the bag. I had to be careful with this scene because I wanted to have enough foreshadowing to hint at Rick’s romantic interest in Celeste and to provide context for his future actions, but I didn’t want to give so much away as to be predictable. I also had to be careful that it not be obvious to Murray that Rick had more than a professional interest in the case. I’m still not sure if I struck the right balance because there’s a major contrast between the reactions of the two agents. However, Murray is the senior agent and I thought it likely that he could view Rick’s rather emotional outburst as that of someone who is passionate about justice whereas Murray is somewhat jaded and just wants to do the job. Referring back to episode one, he could very well rationalize that this perceived difference between the two of them is the reason why Rick was tapped to head a task force and he wasn’t. There might just be some resentment simmering beneath the surface of this partnership.
If you’ve watched all 10 episodes of the first season, you understand how this scene between Rick and Murray will be pivotal in the second season. How do you think it’s all going to play out?