21 Jump Street

I could not believe how awesome this episode was. It was beyond anything I would have ever expected. In this episode we see a darker side of the series. Hanson, Penhall, Ioki, and Booker are put undercover in a juvenile lock-up. WE can see the immediate changes in all three of them as they experience the lives of the kids living there. Everyone is depressed throughout this entire episode, and things seem to get worse. Ioki and Booker are transferred. Penhall loses it in solitary because of his clausterphobia. Hanson is left alone.



In a way, seeing Hanson start to "lose it" was kind of distburbing for me, but the effect was very appropriate for the episode. Being locked in there really made Hanson (and us) understand things from these kids' point of view. It was the first time in the series I have seen Hanson cry (ok it was one tear), which of course, I couldn't help joining in. Although it was depressing, it wasn't difficult to realize how amazing and well done this episode was. It remains my favourite in the series, and that will probably stand.

An interesting storyline, and one is left with the impression that 'Tom Hanson' is very very depressed, indeed. He questions more and more why he is in the line of work he is in, as he sees what happens to the kids that get sent to juvenile hall. The scene that stands out for me is the shot of Hanson sitting in a dreary underground tunnel, smoking cigarettes (the first time Depp's character gets to smoke on screen). A picture of sadness and hopelessness.