Shark: "In the Crosshairs"

If this was an homage to the fact that we were all surprised that the DC snipers were shooters-of-color, they missed their chance. The show had a chance to discuss why perhaps different groups of people commit different types of crimes, but instead fell back on old stereotypes that firmly cemented fears and assumptions.

Episode starts with a mysterious shooter picking people off on a highway. The bullets used are traced back to a gang member. Because the shootings seem so random, the attorneys figure that it's a gang thing. In the gang the bullets are traced to, new members are inducted by shooting an innocent.

So they find the leader of the gang.

And of course he's a scary ass black man. Not only is he a scary ass black man, but they pull him off of a girl he's graphically banging when they arrest him (see the post on Traffic for more on that).

Now LA has plenty of gangs and yes, many of th gang members are black. But there's Latino gangs as well as Asian and White Power thugs. Either of those could have been represented by the producers of Shark, but they fell back on the scary ass black man. (SABM)

As they question the SABM, they find out that he is totally unrepentant for crimes he's committed or acts perpetrated on his behalf by gang members he's supplied with weapons and ammo.

Finally, the killer is revealed and he turns out to be a) while and b) killing with purpose.

Now, it's fine that the killer is white. My beef is with the motive.

On procedurals, when a crime is random, violent, without merit and terrifying, it's usually done by a minority.

When the crime is a crime of passion, somehow justifyable or there's just a momentary loss of judgement, the perpetrator is typically white.

Watch some shows, you'll see the pattern.

When the crime is done by a gang member for revenge or sport, the perp is of color.

When the crime is committed by some rich person for love, the perp is white.

The (white) perp is classy, articulate, schooled.

The SABM is thuggy, uses more slang than not and can't muster up a sense of decorum.

And thus was the case with this episode of Shark. The perp, we learn, has anger management issues and shot the first guy because he found out his wife was having an affair with him. Thus, he has a "real" reason. The love of his life betrayed him and he was exacting revenge.

This is in quite a contrast to the SABM that we met at the top of the episode who killed for sport.

And this distinction that is made over and over again by cop and lawyer shows is a scary thing.