Spoilers at bottom. I just finished watching episode 6 "Officer Down" and it's one of the most powerful and uplifting things I've ever seen, not just on a TV screen. I had to write a review for any who might wonder about the show. I've watched 5 of the episodes so far and I'm hooked. Watching this show, and this episode in particular, balances out some of the bad news that inundates us and gives me a bit of hope for our society.
The series is about restorative justice, where victims of crime are able to ask for what they need to heal and move forward. It's a guided process that builds up to a dialog between victim(s) and offender.
This episode is about the dialog between a sherrif and the young man who shot him and left him to die in 1997. The courage required for both parties is extraordinary, which is part of why this episode was so powerful for me. Seeing the results of both men's courage will stick with me. This episode demonstrates some of the ripples from a single incident of violence, but more importantly, it shows the ripples from the dialog.
Spoilers: The sherrif is Caucasian and the barely 17 year old who shot him is African American. This dialog offers at least some insight into the violence and racial clashes that are still occurring. Neither party knew exactly what to expect from the process and the victim's wife, understandably, chose not to participate. At the last minute, she decided to go along but watch from another room. The results were far bigger than I ever would have anticipated.
Tom has obviously done a lot of reflection on how the incident came about, evidenced by things he said and his response to Jason, who is still in prison. Hearing Jason explain his mindset at the time and his transformation shows what's possible if one is willing to take responsibility and do the work to change. His change was evident to Tom who responded with kindness and hope, giving Jason healing he needed, but never expected. The uplifting words were all the more powerful for Jason coming from a retired, white cop.
Tom's wife watched the dialog on monitors in another room. After seeing the transformation, she wanted to meet Jason. The hug and tears between her and Jason were 21 years of rage and anger being released. Her unexpected healing is the side-effect of Tom's and Jason's courage and willingness.
The series is about restorative justice, where victims of crime are able to ask for what they need to heal and move forward. It's a guided process that builds up to a dialog between victim(s) and offender.
This episode is about the dialog between a sherrif and the young man who shot him and left him to die in 1997. The courage required for both parties is extraordinary, which is part of why this episode was so powerful for me. Seeing the results of both men's courage will stick with me. This episode demonstrates some of the ripples from a single incident of violence, but more importantly, it shows the ripples from the dialog.
Spoilers: The sherrif is Caucasian and the barely 17 year old who shot him is African American. This dialog offers at least some insight into the violence and racial clashes that are still occurring. Neither party knew exactly what to expect from the process and the victim's wife, understandably, chose not to participate. At the last minute, she decided to go along but watch from another room. The results were far bigger than I ever would have anticipated.
Tom has obviously done a lot of reflection on how the incident came about, evidenced by things he said and his response to Jason, who is still in prison. Hearing Jason explain his mindset at the time and his transformation shows what's possible if one is willing to take responsibility and do the work to change. His change was evident to Tom who responded with kindness and hope, giving Jason healing he needed, but never expected. The uplifting words were all the more powerful for Jason coming from a retired, white cop.
Tom's wife watched the dialog on monitors in another room. After seeing the transformation, she wanted to meet Jason. The hug and tears between her and Jason were 21 years of rage and anger being released. Her unexpected healing is the side-effect of Tom's and Jason's courage and willingness.