On Call: Season 1 Episode 5 – Recap and Review | The Reason Many of LBPD Don’t Trust Harmon Is Revealed
While Maniac’s existence still haunts Harmon and now Alex, “On Call” begins to move on by allowing us into Alex and Harmon’s personal lives.
Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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Recap
Thanks to the capture of Maniac, Alex’s brother, Gabe, who is in prison, has a hit on him, and their mother is very upset about that. I’m talking mad enough that Alex feels the need to go to her place of work to talk, which leads Harmon to want to meet his mom. Needless to say, the conversation didn’t go well, just as Alex and Harmon were bonding.
How? Well, with Alex having a rare attitude, Harmon asks what’s up, and he talks about his girlfriend (unseen) breaking up with him and moving out. In return, Harmon talks about her divorce in a moment of unexpected reciprocity. Not enough for you to understand why, but the facts.
But this getting closer ends as it becomes clear Harmon isn’t willing to use her connection with the East Barrios to help Gabe. With that, Alex says hurtful things, like using the whole “No one trusts you” thing against Harmon.
Mind you, she isn’t having the best day either. She seemingly sees her ex after a domestic incident where a child almost died, nearly witnesses a second child die, again due to the father, and hears about her sister being around, which brings up a bunch of bad memories.
So, with that in mind, she breaks down what has led to her bad reputation: Lasman used to have an overzealous partner, and when she stepped in one time, she got shoved, and he got fired. Note: She didn’t report anything, but because there was an attempt to cover up the incident, those involved with the cover-up got fired, Lasman lost his promotion to Lieutenant to Bishop, and because IA (Internal Affairs) sealed the investigation, very few, if any, know the truth, thus a reputation which has made Harmon’s job and relationship with her peers difficult ever since.
Episode Details
| Episode Title | Not Your Savior |
| Originally Aired | January 9, 2025 |
| Network | Prime Video |
| Director(s) | Eriq La Salle |
| Writer(s) | Tiffany Bratcher |
| Introduced ACTOR(S) NAME | Grey Acuna, Michelle C. Bonilla, Gavin Houston |
New Character Descriptions
Gabe Diaz (Grey Acuna)
Gabe is Alex’s brother, with gang affiliations, who is currently in prison, but despite his past, he was one of the few who supported Alex becoming a cop.
Ava Diaz (Michelle C. Bonilla)
With what happened to her son, Ava hates cops and never supported Alex becoming one. It especially doesn’t help that his current work has put Gabe in danger.
Austin (Gavin Houston)
Austin is a paramedic who appears to be Harmon’s ex-husband, based on the knowledge he has about her sister.
Review
Trajectory (85/100): Climbing
As hoped, it seems “On Call” did two things: The first is not centering Maniac and what he did as the hook of the entire first season, as it pushes us to get to know Harmon, Alex, and others better. Yet, at the same time, it didn’t completely move on as if the storyline didn’t take half of the season and Maniac didn’t kill a cop.
With that, you see a balance between moving forward and acknowledging the baggage each character holds, for one reason or another. This makes it so that while Maniac’s name still holds power and influence over future storylines, with his death, you not only see the reverberation that slowly dies down but also the handful of other waves that soon will overpower what Maniac did and cause new disturbances to everyone’s peace.
Highlights
- Meeting Members Of Alex and Harmon’s Personal Life
- Finally Learning Why Harmon Has Beef With Lasman
- The Show Beginning To Move On From Maniac
What To Check Out Next & How To Check This Out
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On Call: Show and Character Guide
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