Backstrom
Season 1 Episode 5: “Bogeyman”
Directed by Michael Offer
Written by Eli Attie and Leif G.W. Persson (author)
Created by Hart Hanson
Starring Rainn Wilson, Beatrice Rosen, Page Kennedy, Genevieve Angelson, Dennis Haysbert, Thomas Dekker, and Kristoffer Polaha.
FOX
Air Date: Thursday, February 19, 2015, 9:00pm

Last week on Backstrom (spoilers!), our favorite cranky Special Crimes Unit detective investigated what he declared as a hate crime, in order to postpone his own hearing with the Civilian Oversight Committee. This case was wrapped up in the episode and Moto (Page Kennedy) was Backstrom’s (Rainn Wilson) hero in the end. Last week’s episode was good, but not the best of the episodes thus far.

How does Backstrom 1.5 “Bogeyman” measure up?

Much better. The case of the day looks like a runaway problem child, but Backstrom knows it’s the same predator that captured another girl seven years ago – “Room full of rainbows…sea of black in the closet.” This one really gets to him. He’s almost ready to quit and we witness the biggest Backstrom vulnerability to date.

Almond (Dennis Haybert) is in danger of losing his church for financial reasons. This subplot was less interesting, but was necessary for the main plot.

Now, I don’t know if Backstrom will be renewed. There is no word on that yet. What I do know is that I enjoy the show: the cases are interesting, the unorthodox methods of solving them bring it up another level, and Rainn Wilson really tries to make you dislike his character at face value while making you want to find the redeeming qualities within. Everett Backstrom has been deemed the “House” of detectives. House had a very successful run, but towards the end made you feel as if you were watching episodes on repeat – very well made repeat, but repeat nonetheless. It is still too early to tell on this one. Luckily, each member of his team is compelling in their own way.

FOX’s press release:

THE SPECIAL CRIMES UNIT IS ASSIGNED THEIR MOST HARROWING CASE YET ON AN ALL-NEW “BACKSTROM” THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, ON FOX
FEB 19 9/8c

In the Special Crime Unit’s most harrowing case yet, the team has three days to save a teenage girl who has been abducted by a slippery online predator. The team soon learns that this is a deeply personal case for Backstrom, who is jolted by the girl’s resemblance to the victim of an unsolved case that he was assigned seven years ago. Meanwhile, Detective Sergeant John Almond’s church faces eviction when he neglects to pay rent three consecutive months in the all-new “Bogeyman” episode of BACKSTROM airing Thursday, Feb. 19 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

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