Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Tuesdays, I will be reviewing Pacific Blue, a cop show that aired from 1996 to 2000 on the USA Network!  It’s currently streaming everywhere, though I’m watching it on Tubi.

This week, a loved one dies.

Episode 3.21 “Till Death Do Us Part”

(Dir by Michael Levine, originally aired on April 12th, 1998)

When two robbers invade a high-end clothing store and shoot a security guard, they also accidentally shoot and kill Linda, Victor’s fiancée.  In fact, Linda was trying on a wedding dress when she was shot.  She was accompanied by Chris.  In typical Pacific Blue style, even though Victor is the one who has just lost his fiancée, Chris also gets a chance to tell everyone that it’s also something that she’ll never recover from because she was the one who was actually there when it happened.  Chris is so upset that she initially refuses to even change her clothes, even though they’ve been splattered with Linda’s blood.  The show seems to think that this makes Chris into a strong character.  Personally, I think it makes her someone who is so self-centered that she even has to make the death of someone else’s fiancée all about her.  I can only imagine how Victor feels seeing Linda’s blood all over Chris’s shirt.

As for Victor, he goes on a rampage, tearing up Santa Monica until he finds the man who shot Linda.  Victor ignores regulations.  He breaks rules.  He nearly shoots the killer in a parking lot and his partner Cory promises to back him up if he pulls the trigger.  In the end, Victor is not a cold-blooded murderer.  He allows the killer to be arrested.  He tells the killer that he can’t wait to witness his execution.  (Good luck, Victor.  You’re in California!)  But, as the episode ends, it’s mentioned that Internal Affairs is going to want his badge.

(Apparently, that will be dealt with in next week’s episode, which is also the season three finale.)

Watching this episode, I can found myself asking myself if all the other cops in Santa Monica have been fired.  I didn’t see anyone other than the bicycle cops investigating the robberies or the shootings.  I didn’t see anyone from Homicide looking into Linda’s murder.  Instead, the entire episode was full of people trying to look tough while wearing bicycle shorts.

It just can’t be done!