As the bomb is reported and the daycare evacuated, Janine encounters a tall bald man holding a child saying the bomb is not real and clicks his pictures for later. Avi arrives on the scene too. Janine spots another suspicious-looking man in the crowd of parents. When she approaches, he runs but Janine catches up.
Kathleen is furious when she learns her daughter was run off by her own father. She wants to know who ran her and why, as soon as possible. The man who ran is someone Anna knows - his name is Brad Holt. He had his daughter in the daycare earlier, but then he pulled her out. Anna says Holt is not the type to do such a thing, and he accepts this. However, Kathleen wants to know what happened between him and Janine that led him to run away like that. She backs up Holt in a corner and doesn’t give him any information until he demands a lawyer.
Janine expresses her frustrations to Avi who is sympathetic. But they do not think he is guilty. Anna reveals it was a woman who threatened her the second time as well. Avi questions Brad about him running away and tries to emotionally blackmail him into giving him something for the sake of other children the same age as Gabrielle (Brad’s daughter) but is unsuccessful.
They visit the bald man – Paul Serra. He is an electrician and saw that the bomb was not real. He informs them that his wife, Elisabeth, has gone to Mexico. They have two sons, Eric and Danny. The latter, who is also the older one, walks up to them and says he knows who left the bomb. His “first dad” told him. But Paul says he does not have another father and he is just an illusion Danny created. Marcie meets with Earl, who defends her husband but tries to insinuate that Anna is evil.
Avi interviews Danny in a very tender way. He speaks gloriously about his mother and reveals that Paul and Elisabeth had marriage troubles. But he then points at his father when asked who put the bomb.
Danny is angry with Paul and is taking it out on him by falsely implicating him. The reason is that Danny feels Paul is the one who is driving Elisabeth away due to the fighting. That is why she has gone to Mexico to be with her parents, She has left before but Paul feels she will not be coming back this time. Anna gets another call and Kathleen is anxious more than ever. Avi feels Danny is protecting his mother rather than implicating his father. ..
Avi feels that Janine may have planted the bomb and Sarah comes in to clear up the situation last night. Avi seems disappointed with this turn of events and Paul reveals that Elisabeth used to work at Valley Forge, an elite club downtown. He also says that she lost a lot of money in crypto investing. Avi suggests that she may be missing and not safe, something that Paul has not come to terms with. ..
The Episode Review
This episode was all about Kelley and the team of writers creating Avi as a hero with a certain je ne sai quois. Crime is quite a vast field to play and until episode 5, they have done it perfectly.
Avi is a complex character with a deep and abiding love for his family and friends. His ability to see the good in people and understand their motivations is an important part of his appeal. This choice should be appreciated, as it makes him more human than most TV characters today.
The switch in storylines was a bit of a letdown. After the Conte case was surprisingly wrapped up in episode 4, the writers wasted no time in setting up for their next move. However, Avi and co had to again be hands-on with their investigation to solve two cases; the bomb and Elisabeth Serra’s disappearance. And that didn’t seem likely to end well either.
