Episode Title: 'Clinch'
Writer: Julie Hebert
Director: Mario Van Peebles
Previously on "Boss":
Story:
Mayor Tom Kane (Kelsey Grammer) asks Governor Cullen (Francis Guinan) for more time to fix the city's financial crisis, but his request is denied. At home, Emma (Hannah Ware) confronts Meredith (Connie Nielsen) about drugging her grandfather. Meredith responds with a slap to the face and Emma shoves her to the floor.
At City Hall, Emergency Manager, Elizabeth Borden and her team take over the conference room. Kane urges Ian (Jonathan Groff) to make more cuts while on the TV, news of McGantry's indictment breaks. Mona (Sanaa Lathan) tells Kane that the city needs a federal bailout. He agrees and sends her to D.C. to ask for a handout.
At home, Emma finds herself locked in her room and starts pounding on the door. At City Hall, Ian suggests Kane shut down transit lines during off-hours to save money. Kane agrees and even suggests cutting service during rush hour. He then urges Ian to make a statement to the press, blaming the cuts on the city council.
Meredith wines and dines an entrepreneur friend who's been eager to partner up with the mayor. Outside City Hall, Ian makes a statement to the press about the crisis, placing the blame on the city council. In his office, Kane questions Borden on her credentials and insists she won't be taking over, despite the dire situation.
While shaking hands at a train station, Zajac (jeff Hephner) is approached by former intern, Patty. When he ignores her, Patty goes to see Kitty (Kathleen Robertson) about going public with what happened between her and the Zajac. Kitty advices against it, but Senator Walsh gets wind of what happened from her aide, Tina. Walsh insists on using Patty to take down Zajac, who's quickly gaining ground.
Alderman Ross (James Vincent Meredith) bursts into Kane's office, irate over the targeted cuts to his ward. Kane tells Ross that if Borden takes control they'll both suffer. He suggests that Lennox Gardens can save them both.
Sam Miller (Troy Garity) meets with the lead detective in the case of Ezra Stone's murder. He offers Sam damaging information, but with a price tag of ten grand. At Ross' office, Trey (T.I.) finds himself sidelined when Kenya Taylor returns after the charges against him were dropped.
Kane's bar owner buddy pulls up under a bridge to hand over a large envelope containing money and instructions to a mysterious man. Meanwhile, Meredith has Governor Cullen flown in on a private jet to meet with the entrepreneur about purchasing the property McGantry once owned surrounding Lennox Gardens. Despite the lavish accommodations, Cullen turns down the proposition. When Kane gets the news, he gives Ian an envelope he wants personally delivered to Cullen.
Sam meet with Kitty and tells her about the detective and Kane's brain disease. He wants to expose Kane, but Kitty doesn't want her name used. She also backtracks on her confirmation of Ezra Stone as "Rosebud" and accuses Sam of being blinded by ambition.
That night, the mysterious man Tom's friend met with approaches Senator Walsh at a bar while Tina is gone, acting as a supporter. The next morning, Walsh attempts to wake Tina only to realize she's dead.
Under pressure from Trey, Darius (Rotimi) tells Kenya Taylor he wants him gone. However, Taylor, unfazed by the threat, insults Darius about his relationship with Emma Kane. Darius suddenly shoots him dead.
Cullen opens the envelope from Kane and calls him. Meanwhile, Ian goes to see Emma and calms her down. She takes his advice and apologizes to her mother for her behavior. Kane gets a call from Mona, who has come up empty handed in D.C. With Borden about to take over, the mayor calls a press conference.
At the press conference, Kane announces the building of a casino and convention center at the former site of Lennox Gardens. He also reveals that Cullen will oversee the project and thanks Mona for her help on it. With money coming in from the banks, the city is no longer in default.
Zajac talks to Kitty about the death of Walsh's partner and speculates on Kane's involvement. Though he's sure to become the next governor of Illinois, Kitty reminds Zajac that Kane now owns him.
After the press conference, Mona calls out Kane for sending her out of town for aid when he was planning to announce the casino all along. That night, Doyle pulls up in front of Kitty's apartment as she's headed inside and tells her to get in the car.
Breakdown:
It wasn't looking good there for a moment, what with "Lizze Borden" at the mayor's doorstep, ready to take over. But willing to win by any means necessary, Mayor Tom Kane finds a way to pull through. Offing closeted Senator and gubernatorial candidate Catherine Walsh's partner, selling out Mona Fredericks after sending her on way wild good chase for a golden egg in DC and presumably blackmailing Governor Cullen is all in a day's work for the untouchable Tom Kane.
While Kane slithered his way out of another crisis, those trying to take him down were sent into panic mode – most notably his histrionic daughter. No one believes the bratty, drug-addicted and increasingly violent Emma's wild theory about her parents purposely keeping the former mayor of Chicago in a constant stupor. Confronting Meredith got her a slap in the face and locked up in her room. In a way, Meredith's response to Emma'a behavior only bolsters her daughter's accusations of forcefully suppressing her own father, an outspoken critic of Tom. Whether it's true or not, It's certainly Meredith's style.
Thankfully, Emma may have seen the light, thanks to some advice from her half-brother/lover (sorry, still can't get over that one) Ian, who advised her to play the "long game." Now that she's made nice with Meredith, (who doesn't seem buy the act, just yet), it'll be interesting to see what Emma's next move is. The about face in behavior comes just in time too, as Emma's constant hysterics were making her scenes increasingly hard to watch. As for actress, Hannah Ware's creeping accent, I'm just going to pretend Emma spend a good part of her childhood in a British boarding school.
Getting Doyle to hand over the land for the casino, eliminating Walsh and reaffirming his iron grip on future governor, Zajac, things are looking up for Kane. Aside from his health, the only real threat to his unending regime is Sam Miller and his increasingly loose journalistic integrity. He's already bullied a receptionist and acquired phone records through questionable means. Now Sam is on the verge of paying off a CPD detective for intel on Ezra Stone's murder and using his girlfriend's name to take Kane down. With none of the political and personal weakness of Kane's other adversaries, Sam is a dangerous opponent.
"Clinch" wasn't the salacious jaw dropper last week's episode was but there were plenty of shocking moments, like Darius (who is more and more screwed with each passing week) shooting Kenya Taylor, the murder of Walsh's partner and Mona's showdown with Kane. Heading into next week's finale, Kane is firmly back in the saddle, surrounded by countless enemies glaring up at him, yet powerless against him. Doyle's got something in mind involving Kitty and Sam's about ready to drop ten large on taking out the mayor. It'll be interesting to see who takes a real shot at Kane first. If anyone at all.
