Written By Julie Martin and Warren Leight
Directed By Alex Chapple
A closer look at the family of a five-year-old girl with suspicious bruises reveals a mother struggling to manage the violent outbursts of her ten-year-old son Henry when he doesn't get his way. Attempts to corral the boy result in a dangerous standoff between him and Amaro when he takes another kid hostage.
Tropes
- Antagonistic Offspring: While Viola at first tries to reason with Henry, he eventually embraces this wholeheartedly nearly a third into the episode, as him slicing open his mother's hand with a knife was the wakeup call Viola needed to realize that her son might be Beyond Redemption.
- Bad People Abuse Animals: 10-year-old Henry drowns his neighbor's dog in the bathtub.
- Chekhov's Gun: At the beginning of the episode, Amaro is doing a school talk about being a Policeman. Amaro made a point about always wearing a bulletproof vest when on duty. This comes in handy later when he gets shot by Henry.
- Enfant Terrible: The episode revolves around Henry, a manipulative 10-year old boy who has homicidal tendencies whenever he doesn't get what he wants, to the point where he locks his mother in the laundry room, ties his sister to a bed while nearly lighting his family's apartment on fire, ties a neighbor's kid to a chair in a closet, drowns his neighbor's dog, takes another child hostage inside a playroom, and shoots Amaro in the abdomen. Fortunately, Amaro was wearing a bulletproof vest.
- Family Relationship Switcheroo: Amaro has been allowed to be a part of his son Gil's life after learning of the child's existence two episodes earlier, but only under the guise that he's a family friend and Honorary Uncle, which he's less than thrilled about. At the end of the episode, when Gil and his mother come to see Amaro after the shooting, the mother finally allows Amaro to tell Gil the truth.
- Gory Discretion Shot: When Fin discovers the aftermath of Henry having drowned his neighbor's dog.
- Hostage Situation: Henry takes another child hostage inside his apartment complex's playroom.
- Kubrick Stare: Henry is fond of this, most notably when he was hugging his father at the end trying to manipulate him.
- Manipulative Bastard: Henry expertly manipulates his parents, terrorizing his mother to make it look like she hates him while appearing innocent and vulnerable to his father (possibly to try and drive a wedge between them).
- Mr. Fanservice: Amaro shows up shirtless after the whole ordeal with Henry.
