Regina’s potential job loss was supposed to be the exciting end of East New York’s first season.
But with the sad news that East New York has been canceled despite performing well in a difficult time slot, East New York Season 1 Episode 21 will now be its swan song.
It sucks that this gritty cop drama will soon be gone, but at least we get to spend one last hour with the cops of the 7-4.
The conflict between Regina and Suarez, brewing all season, will come to a head after a tragic shooting.
Spoilers say this incident will lead higher-ups to question Regina’s leadership. If the series were returning, I’d guess Regina would win this battle — if not now, then in the fall.
But with this episode serving as a series finale, we may be in for a sad ending. Logically, if Regina is fired or suspended from the 7-4, that’s the end of the story.
After all, the premise was that she would butt heads with political figures who resisted the reforms she was making. Firing her would be a massive loss to the neighborhood but great news for those who want to maintain the status quo and ensure that inequities in policing stay the way they are.
Since this story involves a tragic shooting, it’s probably the fallout from the cliffhanger on East New York Season 1 Episode 20. That hour ended with Quinlan and Bentley calling for backup after a shooting at Raskin Gardens.
The shooting involved Thora’s nephew, who was staying there illegally and is likely the shooter. He had a beef with a local gang leader, but their conflict resulted in a child getting shot.
Violence in the projects doesn’t help Deputy Mayor Sharpe’s campaign, so he and others in powerful positions may be eager to deflect blame. And since two of Regina’s cops live in the projects yet were unable to prevent gun violence there, those higher-ups might choose to blame Regina’s policies for this tragedy.
After all, Regina put two cops in the projects, which changed nothing. To them, that’s failed leadership.
Never mind that whenever Regina proposed a policy to help residents, Sharpe interfered, and Suarez undermined Regina to stay in good with the Deputy Mayor.
Or that Sharpe wanted resources diverted from East New York so that wealthy constituents would feel safe after a string of robberies elsewhere.
Sharpe often views the people who live in Regina’s precinct as expendable. If he takes action against her instead of giving her the resources she needs to solve this murder, that won’t sit well with her.
And Regina will explode if Suarez goes along with it in any way, shape, or form. That could explain the clip in the spoiler video where she has it out with Suarez once and for all.
Quinlan knew that Tyson was living in the projects illegally and tried to handle it privately, which could also be a source of trouble.
She didn’t uphold the law even though the purpose of her living in the projects was to be more neighbor than a cop. Thora hated her when she policed residents for minor violations of the law, and immediately moving to remove Tyson would have undone all the progress Quinlan had made.
You can’t expect Sharpe to understand that. All he cares about is getting votes, and if manipulating Suarez into forcing Regina to take disciplinary action against Quinlan is the way to do that, so be it.
Quinlan’s mother is also set to return — will she understand this issue more?
She was sharply critical of her daughter and the environment in the projects before. That isn’t likely to change now, especially since Quinlan had previously treated her mother like a perp.
Quinlan’s living situation is a loose end that may be tied up by the end of this final hour, but what about her relationship with Bentley?
The two broke up earlier in the season but have drifted back toward each other ever since. Now that Bentley doesn’t appear to be suffering from acute symptoms of PTSD anymore, will these two get another shot?
Romance isn’t strictly necessary in cop shows and not all viewers care who is dating who. But with the ending of the series, it’d be nice to have closure on this relationship.
Conversely, Regina’s relationship with Sean is likely permanently over after her decision last week. There isn’t time for a miracle change of heart here, and even if they did reconcile, it would be hard to trust that it would last.
But with Regina on the outs with Suarez, will she end the series isolated and alone?
She and Suarez have been friends for a long time. It would be a shame if it ended with no chance of their relationship being fixed.
That idea is depressing. Let’s hope these two aren’t still on the outs when the ending credits roll!
At least Regina still has a friendship with Yenko. He’s loyal, eccentric, and fun.
What do you think, East New York fanatics?
Hit the big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know.
This may be the final all-new episode, but you can watch East New York online whenever you’d like.
East New York airs on CBS on Sundays at 9 PM EST / PST.
Jack Ori is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. His debut young adult novel, Reinventing Hannah, is available on Amazon. Follow him on Twitter.