Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
Directors: John Behring, Leslie Libman, Steve Shill, David Boyd, Nick Gomez, Via Vision Entertainment.
Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Ray Liotta, Drea de Matteo, Warren Kole, Dayo Okeniyi, Sarah Jeffery.
In the final season, Jennifer Lopez, continues to play the role of Harlee Santos, a Brooklyn detective and single mother. Santos is a woman, a detective, but, first and foremost, a mother, who grows into a more self-assured woman.
It’s an empowering yet flawed, complex character that sees a fitting resolution. It’s “crazy how some parts permeate your soul and change you forever”.
The premiere saw NYPD detective Santos, who’s part of a crew of dirty Brooklyn cops, being picked up by the FBI, which will do whatever it takes—including leveraging her daughter—to turn her into an informant against her fellow squad members.
Lt. Matt Wozniak (Liotta) is the corrupt commander of the 64th Precinct’s Street Crimes detective squad. In order to effectively protect their precinct and their own, Wozniak often directs the team to step outside the boundaries of the law.
Six months after dual near-death experiences, Harlee and Wozniak have radically different reactions to their respective traumas. Harlee attempts to start anew and reject the shortcuts, temptations and graft that surround her. However, she is still haunted by visions of her ordeal in the woods at the hands of Stahl (Kole), the rogue FBI agent.
In episode 1, titled ‘Good Police’, Harlee and Wozniak try to piece their lives back together, but danger seems to lurk and old enemies resurface. Later, while entrusting Nava with a suspect on the run from the New York Intelligence Unit, Harlee thinks she sees Stahl on a subway but is wrong and in an apparent drive-by shooting, Nava is killed.
Harlee questions her own sanity as Wozniak keeps secrets from those closest to him in episode 3. Stahl’s continued obsession with Harlee brings him back to New York. In episode 9, Harlee uncovers a betrayal.
In the last episode titled ‘Virtue Fall’, the morning after gunning down Stahl in her living room, Harlee formally brings her case against Captain Ramsey to the police commission. Wozniak and the crew scramble to help her from the outside.
Waiting on the edge of the seat to see how Harlee’s story concludes, this is a well-crafted poetic three-season sweep on how her journey ends, which is true redemption. It’s the way only Harlee could have done it —– the hard way, the road less travelled.
Lopez also executive produced Shades of Blue alongside Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Benny Medina, Ryan Seacrest, Nina Wass and show runner Jack Orman.
