It truly does pay to have friends in high and low places.
But after RJ Decker Season 2 Episode 2, maybe it’s better to have them in the low places because RJ and the people he surrounds himself with and knows are bonds you can cherish, whereas the Janis Lakes of the world? Not so much.
Shockingly, the second episode of the sophomore season dove right into solving Victor Ochoa’s murder, and by the end of the hour, Emi was much better off.
Have I mentioned how much I love RJ? He’s just so good, in an earnest way, refreshing, maybe, and ironically, in an innocent way that you don’t anticipate from someone who has been to prison and had a rough go of it over the years.
He always keeps the faith, fights hard, does his best, and tries to navigate the world non-judgmentally, usefully, and well.
Admittedly, that’s part of the magic and appeal of RJ Decker as a series. It’s quirky, and silly at times, and a bit campy, but it’s also feel-good. Television needs a bit more of that — the world does, frankly.
And watching a man like RJ be such a devoted friend just makes you smile. From the moment Emi got arrested, he was determined to get to the truth of who killed her father so he could get her the justice that she deserved.
The case against her felt a bit thin, but it got worse later when Janis Doyle lied about everything.
But what made the whole situation all the more endearing was that Mel and Catherine were as determined to help prove Emi’s innocence as RJ.
Right is right, and wrong is wrong, and none of them had to know her long or hold her past against her to know she didn’t deserve to be in prison.
Mel assisting RJ the whole way through was fun because, even though she would hate to admit it, RJ has grown on her. He’s her family, too, and she’s softened toward him so much that she finally gets his appeal and sees what others have seen.
They’re such a great team, too, and frankly, sometimes RJ needs the backup. Goodness knows it would’ve been a whole lot worse if he confronted Doyle on his own when he set off that rocket launcher all because he couldn’t send his mom to voicemail.
I know someone who would’ve done the same thing, which made that scene even funnier.
But even though it has fallen to the background a bit more, RJ and Mel’s dynamic has settled into itself so well, and it’s just great to see how they play off one another and trust each other now.
Mel doesn’t bat an eye at the fact that she lets an ex-convict into her interrogation room and keeps him right beside her on cases, and she doesn’t care what anyone else has to say about him.
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But it’s still fun watching RJ’s individual shenanigans, like him trying to do recon and investigate Augustine on his own, assuming that Augustine wouldn’t notice.
I mean, I know it’s Florida, but who skulks about in the shadows in a Hawaiian shirt and a camera as large as a Tesla, hoping he doesn’t get noticed?
Just RJ!
Augustine had that air of danger about him, yet even when it was clear he was working with some shady organization (in this case, the Haitian militia), you could tell he was one of the good kind of bad guys.
And that’s what I love about RJ Decker: how they make you reevaluate and reexamine who is “good” and “bad,” or more so, just shatter the illusion that anyone can be put into a box in the first place.
Even when he was casually in RJ’s trailer cooking, all I could do was chuckle. And goodness help me, my fear probably would have disappeared the second I smelled the Shrimp Creole.
Dammit, being a foodie could get me killed one day, but if I’m full and happy, so be it, I guess.
It amused me to no end that they sat across from each other eating shrimp creole, as RJ copped to investigating Augustine, and Augustine admitted that he didn’t mind because he would’ve done the same thing.
Their mutual respect is entertaining. What strange befeellowos they are: a former newspaper photographer and a fixer from a Haitian militia, but that’s the fun of RJ being the equivalent of what happens when a Golden Retriever in human form gets sent to prison and survives it intact.
He’s wholesome enough to befriend all types somehow, and that proves to be useful much later. And the irony of it all is that he doesn’t actually attempt to make these connections for the sake of being able to call in favors later — he’s just a charismatic, trustworthy guy.
Augustine was an interesting enough character that I could easily see him returning somewhere down the road for something, and it would be just as delightful.
But through him, we learned that Victor was working with the Haitian militia who were transporting drugs into the country, and it was nice having a powerful man like him in their corner.
So Augustine and the militia he worked for had a vested interest in learning who was really behind Victor’s death, as they knew it wasn’t Emi, and they were willing to pay thousands of dollars to RJ to prove as much.
Knowing who killed Victor could help them determine if they were at risk or not.
But even then, RJ was so honorable and devoted to Emi that he focused on doing it for her. He also didn’t even want to turn Janis over to them (though he threatened to) because he wouldn’t want whatever happened to her on his conscience.
Frankly, Janis’ actions were so abhorrent that she probably deserved whatever came to her. Killing Victor to protect herself was one thing — it makes sense that, as the DA, she didn’t want to go down if he started snitching about her involvement with the militia and drug trade, too.
But opting to follow through on setting Emi up for it was vile.
She was such a ruthless shark, too. However, I did delight in them nailing her to the wall because of that gun/pickleball court fiasco.
Speaking of conscience, they’ve done some really interesting things with RJ and Emi’s relationship. They’re not romantically linked right now, but that lets them build their relationship even better.
Now, it’s less about forbidden love and more about lust, and it’s a deep friendship blossoming that can go in many directions.
But the best part about this hour and their relationship was how Emi got to reflect again on what she did to RJ by sending him to prison. She’s always been apologetic, especially as she’s gotten to know him better.
However, going to prison for something she knew she didn’t do really puts into perspective the full scope of how she ruined RJ’s life. And there he was, being so good and kind to her despite that.
She can’t even handle the fact that he’s genuinely forgiven her and cares about her. We have Emi not feeling worthy and deserving of that forgiveness, of RJ, of his friendship and care, or anything.
All of that — the vulnerability, how that guilt eats away at her, the newfound awareness, and how she’s a bit lost and trying to figure out who she is now — makes Emi so interesting as a character.
Emi doesn’t know who she is with her father gone, and she feels lost and like she lacks family and people, but she also can’t fully process that RJ is her people, and he’s brought his people into her life to be her people, too.
She was willing to go to prison, take a deal just to protect them because she couldn’t bear the thought of possibly losing RJ too as he investigated this case, or anyone else she cared about being hurt or killed because of her.
And her self-flagellation was heartbreaking. But what’s been great is her coming to grips with the fact that no matter how much she pushes, or attempts to alienate herself, RJ isn’t abandoning her.
She’s stuck with him. And given everything she’s experienced, that’s genuinely sweet.
Over to you, RJ Decker Fanatics! What did you think about Victor Ochoa’s killer being the DA? Are you still rooting for RJ and Emi to be together? Let’s discuss!
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