Regina took over the 7-4 to ensure that the police took neighborhood residents’ complaints as seriously as those of white, wealthier people.
She’s proven repeatedly that she means it, gradually gaining people’s trust as she closes cases that no one else paid attention to.
Sometimes that’s a tall order. East New York Season 1 Episode 11 spoilers suggest that a new case might be the most formidable challenge to Regina’s mission yet.
The night’s biggest story will be that a young dancer’s body turns up on the tracks. According to the spoiler video, Regina reassures the victim’s grief-stricken mother that she wants to find out who killed the girl as much as the mother does.
But will Regina be able to keep that promise? This appears to be a tough case where leads are scarce if they exist. And if the police can’t solve this murder, the mother will be twice as upset if she thinks Regina promised her justice that never arrived.
The mother’s upset puts extra pressure on Regina to close this one, which she will undoubtedly pass on to Killian and Morales as they struggle to find leads.
The victim was a talented dancer; Killian and Morales might start by looking into who was jealous of her abilities. But jealousy doesn’t always add up to murder, so that could be a dead end.
And if the girl crossed paths with a random killer who pushes people off subway tracks for no apparent reason, it’ll be a lot harder to get answers.
Killian probably won’t be at his best because he’s working this case while preparing for Goody’s grand opening.
Spoilers say the plans for the grand opening hit a snag — but why? Killian has been fighting with Corrine over hiring an ex-con as head chef; so far, the guy has been on the up-and-up, but could something happen that leaves the restaurant without a cook?
Let’s hope not! Killian’s been convinced that people don’t change and that an ex-con will always break the law again. I don’t want to hear him crowing about how he was right.
Even if the chef gets in trouble, gloating over it won’t help. In that case, the restaurant needs a new chef ASAP, not a manager saying he told his co-owner so.
The problems at Goody’s could also be due to Killian’s unpredictable work schedule. Whenever there’s a case the department needs to be closed right away, he gets called in. That makes it hard to get a side business going, especially one as complicated as a restaurant/bar.
Back on East New York Season 1 Episode 1, Killian engaged in less than aboveboard tactics to resolve a problem related to opening the restaurant. It’s never been mentioned since, but we all know that actions have consequences.
Killian’s choice may cause problems now, just as the restaurant is set to open. And if it does, he may not have time to deal with it effectively since he’s also working on this challenging case.
Will the 7-4 be short-staffed thanks to Bentley’s shooting? It’s not realistic for Bentley to return to work immediately (unless there’s a significant time jump), and Sandeford’s continued employment is in doubt, thanks to the stunt he pulled to catch Bentley’s shooter.
With two men out of commission, Regina will have a harder time getting anything done, especially a large-scale investigation requiring officers to bring suspects in for questioning along with detectives to investigate leads and conduct investigations.
Spoilers are strangely silent on the topic of Sandeford. Either something big is planned, or his fate will not be dealt with until later. Either way, it’s unclear what his status is, but that could certainly affect the 7-4’s ability to catch this girl’s killer.
As for Bentley, he and Quinlan are supposed to be in for a rough time during the hour.
Everyone knows about the two, so there’s no need to keep their relationship private. But Bentley might not be in any shape to consider going public while he’s recovering, and his mother may have something to say about it.
Conversely, if Quinlan has to take care of him while he is recovering, he might resent it.
People who are used to being independent resent relying on others after an injury or serious illness. It tends to be twice as hard on TV for cops and other emergency responders.
Will Bentley be the exception? As a young cop with his whole career ahead of him, he may be twice as impatient to get back on his feet and start working a beat again.
This type of injury can make or break a relationship.
Bentley and Quinlan have feelings for each other; the entire department and all their neighbors know it despite their attempts to keep their relationship under wraps.
But that doesn’t always translate into being able to weather a serious storm like this one, especially for young people who didn’t expect to have to deal with health issues for a long time yet.
What do you think, East New York fanatics? Will Bentley and Quinlan’s relationship survive his convalescence? Will Sandeford face disciplinary action for his behavior with Kiki? And will Killian and Morales be able to crack this tough case?
Hit the big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know.
Don’t forget you can watch East New York online while waiting for new episodes to air.
East New York airs on CBS on Sundays after 60 Minutes. Start times may vary due to football games earlier in the day.
Jack Ori is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. His debut young adult novel, Reinventing Hannah, is available on Amazon. Follow him on Twitter.