RJ Decker’s Series Premiere Balances Heat and Humor Through an Unorthodox Lens

Critic’s Rating: 4 / 5.0

4

RJ Decker basically had me at Scott Speedman.

And RJ Decker Season 1 Episode 1 affirms that he’s the right type of actor to handle this role and bring the perfect amount of warmth, humor, and charm to this series.

What’s appealing about RJ is just how normal he is in the grand scale of things.

This series is interesting because it takes a tried-and-true, at times oversaturated concept and still makes it refreshing and fun.

RJ isn’t a gifted or quirky consultant who somehow worms his way into working with a law enforcement officer. He doesn’t have some sort of superpower that makes him an asset that they can’t find anywhere else.

He’s simply an ex-con with a photographer’s eye trying to get his life back on track after two years in prison because he got a raw deal.

What’s at the heart of RJ Decker is that its titular character is so grounded and human. He’s a bit of a mess, relatable, genuinely nice, and he has an endearing ability to see and accept people for who and what they are right out.

He’s so unfazed by the quirkiness and oddities of navigating Fort Lauderdale. It’s an ongoing joke that Florida is one of the most bizarre states in the country.

“Florida Man” is such a hilarious thematic quirk — the ability to hear some of the most outrageous instances of cases you’d ever dream of, all tied to the same locale.

It’s that, and the overall Floridian culture, RJ Decker nods at that makes the series so fun.

I’ve mentioned it before, but it reminds me of ABC’s heyday of producing light, bright, fun, sun-soaked summer shows that had the perfect amount of intrigue and escapism.

RJ Decker fits that bill perfectly, tapping into a bit of nostalgia and yearning and already delivering a great lead worth rooting for, along with a solid enough supporting cast.

On the latter bit, I’ll need to see more episodes before I can truly say I connect with the other characters. Offhand, RJ’s dynamic with Wish is one of the most compelling.

We learn fairly quickly how he landed on his feet again after his 18-month stint in prison, and it’s all thanks to the man who was his cellmate.

Learning that RJ devoted his time and whatever resources he had toward fighting for Wish and his wrongful conviction told us so much about him as a man.

And that Wish valued that so much that he’d do pretty much anything for RJ — this man, whom he’s only known for a couple of years — speaks volumes.

I had a great laugh over the fact that the wheels of justice were so slow that he only got out a day earlier than his sentence.

Justice is funny like that, isn’t it?

It doesn’t take half as long to throw anyone in prison as it does to get an innocent person out. But his exoneration was a two-fold blessing, as he credits getting out a day early with luck on a million-dollar lottery ticket that allowed him to open that dive bar.

He’s right. Where else would he have been if he got out the day of or one day after?

RJ’s next most interesting dynamic is that with his ex, Cath. I’m a sucker for unorthodox families, and that’s what he, Cath, Mel, and her daughter are giving me. The latter even calls him “Uncle RJ.”

It’s just so refreshing to see the warmth between them, that this is a man she still absolutely loves and views as her family, and that they still take care of one another no matter what.

I love the idea that loving her means accepting that her ex-husband is a package deal in some ways, and that’s something Mel is begrudgingly coming to terms with in the end.

Her annoyance with RJ was a bit off-putting, and she’s rough around the edges a bit. Mel is a character who will likely take me a minute to warm to, despite knowing she needs to have an antagonistic edge he plays off of in the series.

She has a binary way of thinking about the justice system, which gets annoying. How many times did she need to remind everyone, including RJ, that he’s an ex-con?

It’s clear that she wasn’t buying into anything he was saying about Clay murdering his friend years ago.

At least, she wasn’t really listening to or respecting his thoughts on the matter until she asked him outright if he had an affair with his colleague when he was with Cath.

Of course, it led to one of my favorite moments. He didn’t need this personal attachment to the victim in order to care about her death and want justice for her and to expose Clay for what he truly was.

His reasoning helps RJ Decker sell the unique edge it has—the art and skill of photography.

My late great-uncle was an award-winning photographer, and it’s been a hobby for many in my family. Cameras became these well-thought-out special gifts.

I remember the first time I got my own, and I felt how special and meaningful it was, well before I fully understood.

I’m not a photographer; I don’t have the eye for it, per se, and I’ve never taken the time to invest in it, but I remember my uncle saying he can see so much through a lens. He understood people better behind a lens than he did without.

RJ’s attempt to put into words the calculations and thoughts in his head as he took crime-scene photos of his colleague for the news report, and then his transition to seeing Clay’s guilt and depravity through his lens, resonated.

If you’ve ever had those conversations with photographers when they’re passionately explaining what they see — as a sixth sense, it’s just like that.

The way her death haunted him adds this compelling layer to RJ, and I get why it was something they were angling to depict on the series’ first outing.

However, I still found it an interesting move to resolve such a significant case in his life in the first episode. It’s something that could’ve easily played out in the background for the full season.

But perhaps this is the jumping-off point to truly validate how much good he can do as a private investigator. The trade-off is RJ solidifying that he’s found a new purpose, is capable of it, and has the support of Emi and Cath in his ventures.

He had that hunch about Clay hiring someone “Popeye legs” to kill the second Batista woman for Clay, and he was right about it.

The fact that this man murdered a woman for calf implants is the type of absurdity that somehow manages to feel all too real.

People are stupid and vain.

Fortunately, by the end of this, not only did RJ help take down a white whale who seemed untouchable, but he also secured justice for two women, including his friend, and kept others out of it.

It’s RJ’s ability to connect with criminals that makes him more interesting to watch. I would’ve hated it if the young car thief had been hauled in or wrongfully accused of this murder.

Just like I love that he returned the stolen dog and then set the thief up with a possible job. He sees people for who they are on their worst days, and he doesn’t flog them for it but helps.

And now, for the Emi of it all.

I try not to judge, but RJ and Emi already had my eyebrow raised when she approached him, talking about her and a friend initially thinking he was homeless, and then shortly after hooking up with him in his car in a parking garage.

I’m all for blowing off steam, but have we no caution or fear anymore?

Nevertheless, Emi listening to RJ pour his heart out, only to give him a good screw and then screw him over in that courtroom, was diabolical, and it makes it difficult to actually root for this pairing.

Her lying, dramatics, and antics are part of why he ended up in prison for two years. How does one just “get over” that?

I can hold a mean grudge at times, and that would most certainly be a time worthy of such a thing.

It’s not to say that Speedman and Jaina Lee Ortiz don’t have chemistry; they do.

However, it’s not exactly a romance I feel compelled to root for, and whatever complicated mess that’ll come with her politician father isn’t something I’m looking forward to just yet.

All that means is RJ Decker is going to have to work for it, but I’m locked in.

Stakeout Session:

• Scott Speedman is so scruffy but so hot as RJ Decker. He’s really pulling off the disheveled, breezy ex-con vibe.
• I love that the dog saved him from getting shot. RJ better have extra snacks for him next time he’s at the trailer park.
• “No bite marks.” “No underwear either.” Poor kid, traumatizing her with a real angry penis. I need her on more stakeouts with Uncle RJ.
• I should not have laughed as hard as I did when the trailer fell into the sinkhole, but I did.
• The poor woman being affronted by a shrimp mascot that looked like an “angry penis” was too funny. I’m glad RJ brought her new flower pots, though.
• I’m dying to see what other cases RJ takes on, but it definitely appears Emi will have something to do with them.
• RJ Decker is just all embracing the weird and coasting on vibes, and I love that. It’s a great matchup with Will Trent and High Potential.

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