Corkscrewed

Episode Summary & Review

Summary

Backstrom comes home to find Dante Trippi, Valentine’s abuser, murdered on his doorstep. Worried that Valentine could be next, the S.C.U.’s investigation leads Backstrom to a ring of counterfeit wine smugglers, a corrupt river patrol cop and a Club of Portland government official. Meanwhile, Valentine’s inability to tell the truth makes it harder for the team to catch the killer and Amy has a new boyfriend, of whom Backstrom is not fond,.

Our Take

The Valentine storyline finally gets some real weight here, and Thomas Dekker handles it well, but the counterfeit wine case underneath it is pretty forgettable stuff. Rainn Wilson gets a few good cranky moments, though the Amy’s-new-boyfriend jealousy bit feels recycled from better shows. A middle-of-the-road hour that coasts on character work the plot doesn’t earn.