‘R.J. Decker’ Boss Says Episode 2 Explores R.J. & Wish’s ‘Very Powerful’ Brotherly Bond
Preview
After last week’s series premiere, ex-con photographer R.J. Decker (Scott Speedman) is continuing to adjust to life as a private investigator in South Florida.
In R.J. Decker‘s March 10 episode, RJ digs into a new mystery — one that comes from his former cellmate, Aloysius “Wish” Aiken (Kevin Rankin) when another one of his cellmates’ sons is wrongly accused of murder. And as showrunner Rob Doherty explains, the case shows RJ and Wish’s strong bond.
How’s R.J. settling in in South Florida ?
Rob Doherty: R.J.’s return to civilian life is going OK. A little bumpy, but OK. Suffice it to say, he’s happy to be living somewhere other than the bottom of a sinkhole. He’s got a good support system in Catherine [Adelaide Clemens] and Mel [Bevin Bru] and a forever-pal in Wish. Life could be much worse for an ex-con diving into a new profession.
Wish enlists R.J.’s help on a bizarre case when his late cellmate’s son is wrongly accused of murder. What can you preview about the case and what makes it bizarre?
What doesn’t make it bizarre? We have a dismembered corpse. An industrial meat grinder. Tattoos in unmentionable places. Tens of thousands of Venus flytraps. Oh, and Magic Mike-style dancers. Don’t you dare miss it.
What can you share about any significant interactions between R.J. and any of the other main characters in this episode?
This episode gives us a closer look at the very powerful, very brotherly bond between R.J. and Wish. They were cellmates for almost two years. Wish taught R.J. the ropes in prison, helped keep him alive, and so, when the son of an ex-con who, years ago, did all of the same things for Wish, is accused of murder, proving the kid’s innocence is a moral imperative. Wish doesn’t want to let his old friend down, R.J. doesn’t want to let Wish down.
Also, when R.J. finds himself circling back to Emi [Jaina Lee Ortiz] for a little help with the case, they have to try to figure out what they are to each other — not easy given their strange, passion-filled, only-in-Florida history.
What else is going on for R.J. in this episode?
We’ll see that R.J. is mentoring someone he met in our first episode, Darius [Anthony B. Jenkins], 6th grader and car thief extraordinaire, though it’s a little unclear who’s learning more from whom. And we’ll see that, while Mel has — reluctantly — signed off on R.J. as a houseguest, it’s going to take a while for him to earn her respect as a professional. Possibly forever.
RJ Decker, Tuesdays, 10/9c, ABC
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