Stumptown (1×03) Rip City Dicks Review

For our review of the last episode of Stumptown, click here.

Synopsis: In hopes of becoming a certified private investigator, Dex seeks mentorship from veteran PI Artie Banks; Hoffman grows suspicious of Grey after evidence proves that he has a connection to a victim in his case. (TV Guide)

In this new episode, Dex would get her first real lesson on what it truly meant to be a PI. Meanwhile, Grey would find himself in trouble from multiple fronts and Hoffman was confused about his feelings for Dex.

Rip City Dicks started with Dex visiting the office of a veteran PI and sleazebag named Artie Banks (Donal Logue). While she waited, she imagined the two of them as characters of a 70s cop show (which was pretty cool). Banks didn’t seem all that interested until she had to barge into his office. She needed apprenticeship hours so she wanted to work with him because she thought he was the best, however, he didn’t think she was cut out for it. A cut of her earnings for a year was enough to change his mind. Meanwhile, Hoffman was working Feeney’s case and came across a voicemail that Grey left on Feeney’s phone around the time he died. Because of the obvious connection between him and Dex, Cosgrove urged him to tread carefully.

Dex and Banks’ next case involved helping a woman named Candice who was in a custody case against her wealthy husband Randall Tapper (Robb Derringer). Banks was just going to pay her off but Dex convinced him to continue working together on the case. Because he was licensed and she was not, Banks had Dex perform some questionable acts but she still got away with them. Meanwhile, Hoffman visited Grey’s bar to talk/interrogate him, however, Grey knew what was happening. His alibi for Feeny’s murder was questionable (he was hesitant to include Dex). They got interrupted by Dex and Banks who showed up soon after (Banks was a former detective).

Dex and Banks found a woman with a connection to Tapper who claimed that Candice was a prostitute. She did not deny it as she met him on a date and then fell in love with him. Later, Sue Lynn Blackbird came to Dex’s house to pay her off to leave Tapper alone since he was a partner of hers. Thinking that they were focusing on the wrong guy, Dex and Banks turned their attention towards Tapper’s assistant for whom Dex planted a GPS tracker under his vehicle (almost getting run over in the process). As a reward, she accepted Hoffman’s request to go to his place for dinner (which of course became something more). When she got back to Banks to continue following the assistant’s trail, he knew what happened. As they were leaving, they got shot at which rattled Dex (Banks assured her that it was part of the job). Meanwhile, Grey met up with his old boss Frank who wanted him to pay Feenery’s share of what they both owed him.

Dex and Banks found another woman who had been tricked by Tapper but Candice set her straight which led to her giving them evidence against Tapper. As they parted ways, Dex confronted one of Banks’ former clients who was watching them (and probably shot at them earlier). He painted a different picture of Banks that implied that he was crooked. When confronted by this, Banks told Dex that he sold the evidence against Tapper to Tapper. Unfortunately, there was little she can do because of all the questionable actions she did for him on his behalf. Meanwhile, Hoffman interrogated Grey again. He was convinced he was hiding something but Grey’s alibi was confirmed.

The episode ended with Dex vowing to Candice that she would fight back. She was not going to lose again. Smulders made us believe it.

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.