RJ DECKER - “The Needle and the Damage Done” - RJ is recruited by Emi to investigate the disappearance of a wealthy rehab tycoon’s son. Mel and Catherine discover they have different views on parenting and finances. TUESDAY, MARCH 17 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EDT) on ABC. (Disney/John Merrick) KEVIN RANKIN, SCOTT SPEEDMAN
RJ Decker Recap for The Needle and the Damage Done
This week’s episode of ABC’s RJ Decker opens with RJ proofreading a story for Catherine. This causes them to debate on how it is written while Mel tells Sofia to hurry up and get ready. She also teases Catherine and RJ about their debate.
Sofia wants to go to a kids’ spa over the weekend, but Mel reminds her that she made a commitment to volunteer at the dog shelter.
Emi calls RJ about a potential new job and tells him to dress up. They will be working for Ed Carter, who owns a chain of rehab centers. She tells him to behave and there may be more work, but also makes fun of his shirt.
The case is about a missing person named Holden, who never returned home the night before and is not answering phones or texts. His sister Naomi and father Ed think he may have relapsed. The job is to find him quickly and quietly so the cops won’t be involved.
RJ talks to Holden’s driver and friend Craig, who says he seemed distracted and thinks Holden is his own worst enemy.
RJ questions someone from Holden’s NA meeting and reluctantly helps him look at security footage. Turns out he was abducted by a pickle…..? Or Sammy the Sea Cucumber mascot from his school, according to RJ’s research. Emi wants answers quickly to help Naomi.
This leads to RJ going to the school where he questions the mascot….who claims she is innocent and the costumes don’t even match since the one the kidnapper was wearing was retired.
The mascot thinks that this is some kind of prank and is way too excited about it. She also says someone named Ricky may be involved.
Catherine and Sofia visit Mel with boba teas and to tell her that Sofia gets to go to the spa after all since Catherine rearranged Sofia’s schedule. Needless to say, this does not sit well with Mel.
Wish joins RJ on a stakeout to find Ricky. Or more specifically, Wish is on the lookout while RJ goes to question Ricky, who has been tied up. He says he kidnapped Holden, who was then kidnapped yet again…Florida Man Abducted from His Own Abduction….Wish sure knows how to state things…. also, he takes way too long to dial 9-1-1.
Wish just seems to snarking his way through this stakeout turned kicking in doors to find a tied-up kidnapper turned second abduction….and I can’t say I blame him, the whole thing is snark worthy.
Now Wish and RJ are playing good cop/bad cop with Ricky. RJ snarks about him being a six-foot cucumber kidnapper, while Ricky tells them about a prank gone awry that ruined his life. Hence, he kidnapped Holden as revenge.
Ricky says that Holden actually tried to make amends and as they tried to work things out, he was hit in the head and Holden was gone when he came to. He knows it wasn’t Holden since he was facing him when it happened.
It’s off to the fields to find Holden’s phone, where they discover Rico Delaware called Holden 47 times….and as an aside, that name sounds like a cowboy porn star.
Mel and Catherine argue over money and finally agree to the spa day, with Mel agreeing to pay half.
RJ tells Emi about Rico Delaware (that name has to be said in its entirety), and she tells him Holden was found in a no tell motel dead by overdose.
Ed is in a catatonic state, while Naomi talks to RJ and Emi, who promise not to release anything to the media. They tell her about Rico Delaware, who hates the family. Emi takes RJ aside and they argue about what really happened to Holden. She thinks OD, he thinks murder.
Wish is talking to someone named Mauricio, who is trying to sell him a blender, as you do, I suppose. Granted, Wish owns a bar, but Mauricio playing Hustler Kid is hilarious. However, he helps get into Holden’s phone and find the elusive Rico Delaware.
Rico is a graffiti artist teacher and claims he was cool with Holden, but hated Ed because of how he was treated in rehab and how he lost his friend due to his own treatment. It turns out the rehab center was all about money and what they can get from insurance companies, not helping people.
Rico Delaware tells him he wanted to use but called Holden for help. When he didn’t hear back, he had his sister take him to a meeting and even gives RJ her number to back up his story. He says every addict is one bad day away from a relapse.
RJ meets with someone who works for the Carter family…who thinks RJ is the killer. That was a twist that came from nowhere….actually, nowhere and took a left and turned back around to nowhere land.
RJ and this random dude talk at Wish’s bar, and it seems like Holden was going to whistleblow on his dad scamming people. How this makes RJ the killer in this dude’s eyes makes as much sense as people coming back and forth from the dead on General Hospital, yet here we are.
Catherine and RJ vent to each other over beers when Mauricio calls, saying that he was knocked out and Holden’s phone was stolen. There is a ‘lollipop with wings’ cut on his face, which leads to RJ figuring out who killed Holden.
Mel has Craig in custody while RJ looks through the phone. She presents evidence against him and Ed, but Craig says he will get a lawyer if she tries to get the assault charge to stick….and if she wants more information.
Emi yells at RJ for how he is handling things and he strikes back with the information he has and storms off, telling her not to do him any more favors.
Now Emi goes to talk to Ed to apologize about how RJ acted. She gives him Holden’s phone and goes to leave. She tells him someone was spying on Holden and says someone knew Holden was about to become a whistleblower. He says that despite everything that happened, her family will have his support. Then he admits that Holden was never supposed to die, he only wanted him to keep quiet.
So, if Ed planned this, who killed Holden? I assume Craig?
Emi recorded everything and plays it for RJ. They go to the IRS dude, aka Random Dude and then plan to get a drink.
A woman named Frances is at the house when Mel gets home. Catherine had invited her over so they can better plan their financial future….and so Mel and Catherine can keep their love constant. They then plan a cheap takeout dinner with Sofia.
RJ and Emi have a drink and talk about how Naomi is planning on working with the IRS and making changes in the rehab. They toast to Holden and have a bantering/flirting night out.
Catherine sees them as she goes to get dinner and seems upset. Mel calls her to add fries to the order, but Catherine tells her it is closed and she is getting tacos instead.
More next week, stay tuned.
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