East New York Season 1 Episode 15 Spoilers: Quinlan's Mother Visits During a Contentious Case
On TV, no one wants a surprise visit from their parents.
East New York Season 1 Episode 15 won't buck tradition in this respect. According to spoilers, Quinlan's mother will show up while Quinlan is trying to figure out her relationship with Bentley.
It couldn't come at a worse time, either, with the 7-4 embroiled in a contentious case involving a battle over gentrification.
The series was going to have to confront gentrification sooner or later. It's an issue that all poor, mostly-minority neighborhoods have to deal with.
Gentrification happens when rich, often white, developers purchase significant property in a poor neighborhood. These developers make improvements that drive up property values and make the area more attractive to wealthier people -- who move in and squeeze out the people living there.
East New York will tackle this problem via a story about another murder at a housing development. This one takes place at a higher-end project.
It'll be interesting to contrast whatever happens this time with what happened at Raskin Gardens on East New York Season 1 Episode 14.
While the Raskin Gardens killing appeared to be an isolated event related to a family dispute, this new murder is part of a pattern; Regina says it's the fourth such murder.
Investigating it will put the cops squarely in the middle of a contentious gentrification battle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyPWSl84OS4
There are several possibilities for how these events may be connected.
If a new developer has bought the housing project, they may be skimping on security to save money.
This seems like it would be counter-productive if the developer's goal is to raise property values and attract wealthy tenants; no one wants to live in a dangerous area. But wealthy building owners don't always make entirely rational decisions, especially if they are focused on short-term profits.
The murders may also be related to clashes between protesters and new tenants and developers. When people feel like they're being pushed out of their homes, they often fight back.
The developer and new tenants won't back down easily, especially if they've invested significant money into the housing project. This is a recipe for someone to get seriously hurt or killed.
And if protesters get killed, the developer may see the deaths as beneficial as they deter further interference with their investment. That attitude will only lead to more anger, and the two sides may engage in an all-out war!
Regina won't allow murders to keep happening in her precinct, nor will she make these killings a low priority.
Will that put her and Suarez at cross purposes again?
Since Suarez allied himself with Deputy Mayor Sharpe's campaign, he's had to navigate treacherous waters. If he endorses too many of Regina's reforms, Sharpe balks. If he backs off too much, he pisses off Regina.
Sharpe won't want to antagonize wealthy developers who may offer large donations to his campaign. He'll want Suarez to get Regina to back off this case.
Suarez keeps saying that he doesn't want Sharpe to have influence over how he and Regina run this department, but his actions so far have said otherwise -- will he stand up to Sharpe this time?
Regina won't put with that for long, if at all. Suarez's long friendship with her could implode, and he'll also have a professional mess if Regina refuses to accept his decision.
Quinlan's mother is set to pop up in the middle of this.
Quinlan hasn't spoken much about her history or family other than explaining that she grew up in poverty, so she chose to live at Raskin Gardens. But it's highly likely that she and her mother don't get along.
Harmonious mother/daughter relationships don't make for good drama, and Quinlan's been dealing with a messy relationship since Bentley's shooting.
Bentley keeps shutting her out. It's a typical trauma response, but Quinlan takes it personally. She wants to be the one to support and comfort him, and that's not happening.
Bentley's parents tried to take over soon after the incident, and Quinlan ran away and cried when she realized she wasn't part of that tight-knit family. More recently, she disapproved of Bentley working with the girls on the track team even though she pretended not to.
All of these red flags suggest that this relationship is on life support. Quinlan's mother probably won't help that.
If she's like most TV mothers, she'll insist on putting her two cents in about this relationship. Whether Quinlan rebels against her advice or decides it makes sense, it'll probably end up in the same place: ending this relationship.
According to a clip in the spoiler video, Quinlan tells Bentley she doesn't think they should see each other anymore. The only unclear thing is how much of that is her mother's doing.
Quinlan's insecurities and difficulty understanding what Bentley is going through were dooming this relationship anyway. But no one on TV accepts a break-up the first time.
Bentley will likely try to win Quinlan back or prove he can be the more open, entirely devoted guy she's looking for. It won't work, especially if Quinlan doesn't lose the insecurity. She needs to either let Bentley have his space or move on.
What do you think, East New York fanatics? Hit the big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know!
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East New York airs on CBS on Sundays at 9 PM EST / PST.