Queen of the Box – The story begins with Detective Sharon Pici (Anna Friel) holding her head in water. A red spider climbs on a wall clock, wall, and ceiling of the interrogation room. Detective Pici and Detective Thomas “Tom” Lovell (Alexander Karim) interrogate suspect, Adina Ilic (Nina Yndis) about her husband’s murder. An annoying pounding is heard in the background, as Adina denies knowing anything about it. She demands the pounding to stop while fidgeting with her cross necklace. Lovell talks about how a renovation project has left his Lieutenant grumpy. He feels responsible for cheering him up. She questions why the detectives continue to investigate her instead of her sister, Zoe who she believes is responsible for the fire. She claims to not know how to speak Serbian. Pici likes Adina’s fingernail polish “Roses in the Snow.” She has them professionally done at a local shop. The recorder is switched off, but Adina is asked to stay for 10 minutes longer.

Lieutenant Jeddiah Brag (Peter Stormare) asks a new recruit, Jenny Block (Letitia Hector) if it took her three times to pass the NDIT exam. She responds, “Actually, Lieutenant, it was more like four.” As she admits to skipping the first exam due to “cold feet,” Brag interrupts, asking her if she should be sharing this information with him. She says, “Right, I was just trying to be honest.”  Pici asks Lovell why he is letting Adina off so easily. Brag orders the detectives to put the “honest recruit” to work. Pici inspects a picture of Adina and her husband on the investigation board. She researches the Siberian translation for “nice nails.”

Sylvia Rosen (Olivia Grant) enters the conversation. She questions why Adina’s husband fought so hard for gay marriage. Lovell says, “Don’t know why you thought you’d have it any easier.” She says 7-year marriages end in murder or divorce. After she is assigned to the case, she wants to know if there will be charges filed against Adina. Pici wants to interrogate her again while Lovell is ready to move on in the investigation. He describes her as a “trophy wife.” Pici offers to buy Sylvia a bottle of the “Roses in the Snow” fingernail polish.

Sylvia asks to speak with Pici alone. She demands to know if Pici taught their son, Jonah (Silas Strand) to his other children in the face with his palm. She taught him the move to utilize against bullies. He utilized it to break a kid’s nose. Sylvia is concerned Jonah is going to get kicked out of a private school. She agrees to meet his principal at noon after Pici admits to having a fear of principals. They make a pact to never divorce and kiss before Sylvia leaves.

Jenny introduces herself to Lovell who is doesn’t believe her name is “Jenny Block.” Her mother named her after Jo-Lo’s character “In Living Color.”

Pici enters the interrogation room to alert Adina they must wait on a report from the fire department. Adina stops her when she tries to swat the red spider with the case folder. She believes red spiders are “sacred” and will lead to the truth. As she prepares to walk her out, Pici asks her if Scandinavia is a country. Adina is familiar with the Siberian term, “dobre nokte”. Pici orders her to remove her coat and tell her the truth about everything. She requests aspirin for a migraine.

 

As Pici goes to fetch aspirin, Lovell says, “Adina understands Serbian.” He describes to Block there are two types of detectives, a “9-to-5er” like himself and Pici who lives and breathes her job. He tells her to pick which detective she wants as a trainer before ordering to cut open cardboard boxes. When Pici interjects about training Block, Lovells warns her about making a great impression. He utilizes his girlfriend’s ovulating as an excuse to not finish interrogating Adina.

 

Alone in the interrogation room, Adina becomes more frightened as Pici plucks a gray hair. Adina’s body is tremoring as she stares at the ceiling when a plumbing pipe falls through. Pici discovers her hanging from the plumbing pipe. She frantically grabs her body and screams for help. Adina’s cross necklace falls to the floor.

Pici rinses her face with water. Officer Joseph Anderson (Shaq B. Grant) enters the room and apologizes for interrupting. As she dries her face with a paper towel, he asks if she is ready for the “big move.” She piles her hair into a messy bun and grabs the aspirin bottle, which houses a prescription bottle. She ingests two tablets before leaving the room.

She prepares to meet with suspect, Joey Cox (Gerard Monaco) when she spots her doctor, Tory Snow (Helen Behan) in the interrogation room.  She puts Adina’s cross necklace on and prays before entering the interrogation room. Snow is concerned about Pici’s obsession with Adina’s case. She asks her about a suicide attempt the week prior. She denies the allegations and admits to working on a case that involved the pipe in the ceiling. Lovell interrupts and tells Snow the interrogation room is needed for a “murder one grilling.” She tells Snow two things that make her happy, spending time with Jonah and grilling a suspect.

Pici is texting someone when Joey Cox is brought into the interrogation room. He demands to be taken to the new office, not the interrogation room. He refuses to talk with anyone except for Pici. Lovell threatens him with charges for assaulting Block and murdering Rosario. He pats him on the head multiple times while telling him Pici will not save him this time. Lovell and Block leave the interrogation room. Joey demands Pici to help him with the murder allegations.

Lovel demands to know why Block is not obeying his orders. She demands to see the doctor because Joey hit her in the stomach. He tells her, no crying in the box and suggests taking some of his Tums. She curses and leaves the room. He returns to the interrogation room. He denies killing Rosario when Pici lifts up his shirt to reveal a spot on his pants. He says the stain is ketchup and denies raping the victim when Lovell receives an upsetting text. Devastated by the text, he leaves the interrogation room. She picks up the case folder and follows him out as Joey grins.

He shows Pici the text of Julia making out with her boss. He doesn’t know who sent the text. Pici tells him to take the rest of the day off. He asks her about Snow’s suicide allegations. She was not going to hurt herself because of Jonah. She wants to know how Adina felt when she hung herself. He doesn’t want to lose her as well as Julie. She returns to the interrogation room alone.

She reminds Joey he is in a mess. He laughably responds, “Not as bad as your partner.” He knows about Lovell’s text. He had the text sent to get Pici alone. He isn’t happy when she turns on the recorder. He demands her find him an alibi as the tape recorder and lights shut off.

Snow is updating Brag on Pici’s condition. Joey tells Pici word on the street says she is “loco”. He demands to know if Pici is fit for duty. He tries the intercom system in the interrogation, which fails. Joey offers Picci his phone for evidence if she heeds his demands. Brag asks if Pici’s meds can be increased. She describes her condition as a “vicious cycle” as Block enters the room. He asks her what she is doing in the box before ordering her to get maintenance to repair the intercom system. In exchange for evidence, Joey wants Pici to give him oral sex and set him free. He tells her the interrogation room is fine when she gets in his face. She angrily leaves the interrogation room. She is startled with Sylvia touches her hair.  Sylvia does not bring Jonah to meet with Pici. Instead, she plans to seek sole custody of Jonah. Snow is going to file a report that Pici is not fit for duty. Sylvia does not believe she is fit to be a mother. She threatens Pici with Snow’s report.

Tapping on the interrogation door draws her attention. When she turns back around, Sylvia is not there. She escorts him out of the interrogation room into the toilet. He forces her to the lavatory, fixes her hair, and shoves her face up to the mirror. He continues to threaten her when she grabs the boxcutter. She slashes him across the neck and chest before stabbing herself in the chest. She places the boxcutter in his hand. They are both lying on the floor bleeding as the episode comes to an end.

 

The Box Review

A packed 30-minute crime drama that takes place in the interrogation room “the box.” There is no question as to why the main character, Pici is rearing on the verge of suicide. There is nothing enlightening about the show. Not one scene is uplifting, nothing but a diatribe of dark, threatening dialogue. It is difficult to differentiate between fiction and reality. The writers threw everything into the show, hoping viewers would stick around to the end. The episode deserves a 6.

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