In the Memphis of Dwight Hendricks (Jason Lee)'s mind, the people take care of one another. It's a loving place, and while it's got its troubles, music and culture hold it together with its own, unique charm. It may not be so simple as that, but that notion works for Hendricks and makes him an awfully good detective.
And he is a good detective. He's not conventional, as the frequent run-ins with his new boss, Lt. Tanya Rice (Alfre Woodard) have shown, but he has great instincts. I loved how we saw that the rest of the force trusted those instincts, proving his track record, but we saw why he was so good. Despite being thrown off the case at least twice, he continued working it, methodically and with dedication, politely talking to the neighbourhood children to learn what they knew and playing Barbie with them to help them get over their shyness.
We really have the sense of a man who cares about his job because he cares about people. He wants the weak to be saved and the wicked to be punished so that the world is protected. Plus, he's got a great voice. But I think the real mark of who Dwight Hendricks is, and the best reason to keep watching the show, was his rousing speech which convinced the uniformed officers to care as much as he did about helping the victim of their case. She was a radio talk show host, and very famous. According to Hendricks, she was Memphis, and if she hadn't played the right song on the right day, those officers' parents might never have met, never have fallen in love.
It was charming, yet focused, dedicated and never over the top. I'm hooked; are you?
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