Alert: Missing Persons Unit Season 2 Episode 1 Review: Bus 447

The MPU is still in the business of bringing our babies home.

While Nikki didn’t utter her signature catchphrase during Alert: Missing Persons Unit Season 2 Episode 1, the sentiment was felt when she and the team had to race against time to save mostly children held hostage on a bus.

In its sophomore season, it’s evident that Alert: MPU has undergone a few changes and is playing it closer to the vest as a procedural.

It’s interesting to note the minor things they’re opting to tweak and how self-aware the series is in invoking some of these changes, primarily through some of the dialogue uttered by the new character, Hollis Brauun.

From a new office, new look, and even some new team members, one looks forward to how these changes will improve or stray from the series many love.

One of the most notable changes was to Kemi Adebayo. They certainly scaled back on some of her quirkiness, prioritizing who she is as a capable investigator and officer ahead of some of her more polarizing antics as a spiritualist and shaman.

You couldn’t help but chuckle when Hollis’ introduction to Nikki as the new head of the department consisted of him commenting on how Kemi’s rituals and the infamous eggs would have to end.

Hollis: MPU’s closure rate is truly excellent. Truly stellar. But the Jason Grant situation, I know, you two have history, but he’s a lawsuit waiting to happen, shooting at parked cars, turning the video off during interrogation.
Nikki: Detective Grant is also the best cop in Philly; my team all of us we focus on getting the job done.
Hollis: You want to explain how eggs play into that?
Nikki: One of my people is a shaman.
Hollis: One of my dogs likes to eat its own crap if I let him, but I don’t because I know better. The thing is, you tick all my boxes, Nikki. I have many, so if you’re not quite in control of your team, we’ll get you there. Don’t worry; I’m a world-class expert in making problems go away.

I’m intrigued to determine if they find a balance between Kemi and how they established her as this faithful individual whose rituals and spirituality spilled into the workplace and her job with the serious tone of what’s expected from her.

The series needed to show more restraint with her so she wasn’t utterly kooky to the point of suspending belief. But they also established a certain level of quirk that can’t be fully extinguished without rebooting the character altogether.

We got a muted Kemi during the hour, though her signature wit was displayed during a few moments with newbie Wayne.

It was also fascinating to note that Sid is away at college now, and we only got a glimpse of her during the family face time, where she was conferencing in from some guy’s bedroom.

Alert: MPU: Should the Unresolved Keith Mystery Continue into Season 2?

With Sidney, the last vestiges of the Keith saga may have been put to bed, at least for now.

Whether or not they revisit it is yet to be determined, but the family dynamic has shifted without the teen element to the series. Instead, Nikki and Mike are happy together, and Jason is alone.

It also puts the odd throuple antics between the three primary characters into full throttle.

The hour almost plays up that Jason is the “problem child” ex-husband, which Nikki and Mike attempt to keep in line, and the latter are this united front who tag-team butting into Jason’s life or ensuring he’s on the straight and narrow.

This brings me to another notable change this season: Jason Grant facing an antagonist and accountability.

Sure, his cowboy antics, recklessness, impulsivity, and knack for breaking rules make him entertaining, and it’s effective.

But it was a challenging sale when he continued doing all that without much pushback.

However, Hollis doesn’t like Jason or his “by any means necessary” approach to solving cases.

And while there’s room for Hollis to be obnoxious or offputting, Jason and the rest of the team need that type of foil to keep them in line.

Oh, wait, Jason Grant, right? All temper, no finesse. Apparently couldn’t even get his own son back.

Moritz

They need someone there to challenge them.

The back-and-forth between Nikki and Hollis was intriguing from the start. He’s no-nonsense, and there’s still an air of mystery around him where we can’t tell if he’s a friendly or foe.

He seems fond of Nikki Batista, but he’s not above checking her or ensuring she does things as he deems fit. And it wouldn’t be surprising if he spends the rest of the season trying to drive a wedge between Nikki and Jason.

He can already see Jason is her Achilles heel.

Jason is a bureaucratic suit’s worst nightmare. One can understand how he would be a team liability, but the MPU wouldn’t be the same without him.

One also has to wonder if half of Nikki’s team, comprising her ex-husband and future one, is enough to give any superior pause.

As much as it’s easy to understand and even enjoy that Jay will get some pushback, the friction he faces up against Hollis makes you root for him even more.

He shows no signs of reeling himself in either, so they’ll be bumping heads sooner rather than later.

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Throughout this case, he’s enlisted the help of a hacker on probation for a case, giving her access to everything and breaching security to do it.

He’s broken and entered a few places, bugged a lawyer to procure information that wouldn’t even be admissible in court, and a list of other “no-nos.”

Jason is going to Jason.

I’m most excited to learn what happens when Hollis learns more about Wayne.

Nikki: Tell me we’re going to be okay here.
Mike: we’re going to be okay.

She will be sticking around in some capacity, and with Mike Sherman and Nikki canoodling and proving to be a united front more often than not, Jay will need someone on his side more often than not.

His old hacker buddy from Afghanistan is the perfect person to fit the bill. She also has put Nikki in her feelings a bit.

I didn’t think anything of Jay not telling her that Wayne was a woman. It didn’t seem like some valuable piece of intel necessary for her.

But it does make their relationship a fascinating one, bumping up alongside the connection Jay and Nikki still have.

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He’s clear that he never had an affair or anything with Wayne, but she and he have a deep emotional connection since he confided in her about some things, and she was there for him when he first learned about Keith.

Oddly enough, up until they tried to allude to some form of sexual tension between them, Jay and Wayne’s relationship felt something akin to sibling-like.

Despite the confusion with their chemistry and what it gives off, it’s fun to watch regardless, and they’re a duo I look forward to exploring more in the series.

By the end of the hour, Wayne left an opening via a Gatorade nightcap for something more if Jay wants it, and for now, he’s made it clear that he isn’t ready for anything.

Nikki: You never mentioned Wayne is a woman.
Wayne: My parents had a sense of humor.

Selfishly, I’d love it if things were left there, and instead, we have a deep friendship between the two that leaves the other characters constantly speculating.

Wayne is a fun addition to this group. She can get into a lot of good trouble with them, and she’ll be eager to do it if she’s spared from the confinements of a motel room with no access to technology.

She brings an edgy and youthful energy to the mix, which was helpful in a case like this, where they relied on teen Kayla’s “Finsta” to get leads to save her and the others.

Plus, in addition to the bond she has with Jay and the weird tension she may have with Nikki at times (although our girl Nikk is a girl’s girl, so it’s more curiosity than anything else), I also look forward to the type of dynamic she develops with Kemi.

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Nikki spent much of the hour in the bullpen and working with the parents, including the helicopter father who tried to save his daughter and sadly failed.

And with her back at the office, we got Mike and Jay teaming up in the field, which is always fun.

They give off the odd-couple, buddy-cop dynamic that makes procedurals work.

What’s nice is that Alert: MPU Season 1 did a decent job of building up the dynamic between the two of them so that now they can stand on their own as a dynamic without Nikki as the connective tissue.

Both of you just promise me you’re using protection.

Nikki [to Jason and Sid]

Although, it likely won’t spare either of them from the inevitable moments with one party and Nikki game up on the other. However, there’s a risk here if the series downplays the natural chemistry between Caan and Ramirez in favor of these different dynamics exclusively.

Mike feels more secure and settled into his role within the trio.

Mike is also accustomed to how Jay operates and has seemingly given up trying to rein him in.

If anything, Jay’s behavior has rubbed off on Mike, who has loosened up a bit from the straight-laced voice of reason who tries to keep everyone in line and now goes with the flow a bit more.

By broadening Mike’s scope a bit, he feels more balanced, which is excellent. It should be a strong season for Ryan Broussard if we see more range from him while playing this character.

Mike wasn’t playing around, either. He dropped down from the top of the freight cart and tackled the hostage taker like a boss!

This case’s open-ended nature means the series takes a stab at a long-arching case rather than wrapping every single one up by the end of each installment.

Fortunately, they got most of the hostages home safely. The driver’s death was tragic.

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But they still don’t know who orchestrated this to get Moritz out of prison.

And now the lawyer is dead, so whoever covered their tracks there also. Whoever was behind it is powerful.

But there’s no doubt the MPU will get to the bottom of it, even if it’s something they’ll have to do off-book while focusing on other cases.

It was a bigger case for the unit since they typically only have one person to find. But they rose to the occasion with their new team.

And from Kemi and C to Wayne, Jason, Nikki, and Mike, we have an eclectic but compelling bunch.

Hollis: You follow football, Nikki?
Nikki: It’s Philly, do you have a choice?
Hollis: An individual can make a difference, but a team can make a miracle.
Nikki: Fly, Eagles fly.

Over to you, Alert: MPU Fanatics.

What did you think of the premiere and the shift in tone? Are you a fan of Wayne? Do you ship her and Jason? What’s your impression of Hollis Brauun? Hit the comments below!

You can catch Alert: MPU on Tuesdays at 9/8c on FOX. You can stream the following day on Hulu.

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