The very first episode is probably one of the most tense 45 minutes of TV I've ever seen. It covers Squad 19 responding to a school shooting and was, at times, hard to even watch. With so many shootings taking place these days, and the fact that it is kids shooting other kids makes it that much harder, but 19-2: Season 2 starting off with a gut-punch definitely sets the tone that this season is going to be rough. The aftermath of the school shooting will carry throughout the season, since a beloved member of the 19 gets shot, while another takes down the shooter and must mentally cope with the ramifications. The focus of the season is Ben Chartier (Jared Keeso) dealing with SQ/Internal Affairs in his assistance with the investigation of his partner, Nick Barron (Adrian Holmes) as SQ hunts for the mole in Squad 19. As things progress, Ben has to be even more intrusive into his partner's privacy and break that sacred trust between partners, and when this all comes to a head, it isn't pretty. Meanwhile, Nick begins spending a lot of time with his cousin, Cassie "Kaz" Clement, who often straddles the wrong side of the law, leaving Nick in an awkward position. What's worse, Ben finally makes a decision concerning his strong feelings for Amelie de Grace (Tatiawna Jones), Nick's beautiful half-sister, but is she ready to get serious with him and how will this affect his spying on Nick?
Audrey Pouliot (Laurence Lebeouf) has recovered from her injuries following a brutal attack last season and is back on the force, but she hasn't really completely healed, physically or mentally. This causes her to act very aggressively in several situations when dealing with the public, causing a tremendous public backlash against the police. Beatice "Bear" Hamelin (Mylene Dinh-Robic) finds herself tossed hither and yon as she gets partnered with Audrey at times, and then back with Tyler (Benz Antoine), who is struggling to recover from his alcohol addiction, in addition to other changes in his life. Recent events have caused him to put down the bottle, but to become far more bold in certain situations, placing him in danger at times, and in others, leaving his partner Bear in a bad way. Bear also finds an old flame coming back into her life, but since she always holds a torch for Audrey, one that isn't reciprocated, now, nor will it be in the future, can she finally find love?
And then there's J.M. Broulliard (Dan Petronijevic) who finds himself without a partner following a rookie mistake made by his partner Vince (Tyler Hynes), made all the worse by J.M.'s meddling. He also has to face his own demons when he takes a domestic abuse call and sees himself in the man beating his wife. Sadly, J.M. can't fight his old ways, and in the course of trying to help Audrey as her union rep, he and his wife have a devastating altercation, and Nick gets involved too.
Isabelle Latendresse (Maxim Roy) finds herself in the spotlight as she is tasked with handling PR during the various incidents that happen this season, whether its the school shooting or public outrage at the cops. Is Commander Gendron (Bruce Ramsay) letting her shine or setting her up to be the fall guy? We'll see plenty on Gendron this season, including some personal stuff involving his deceased wife and estranged teenaged daughter that we haven't been privy to. Izzy and Nick also discover that their son Theo has been involved in some unsavory stuff and they must decide whether to let him off the hook, or make him pay the price to stand by their convictions.
While all of the interpersonal stuff among the 19 is very interesting, the overarching storyline is the mole in the squad. Who is it and why are they doing this? As Ben and Nick get closer to discovering who it could be, everyone is under suspicion and the pair just get pulled deeper into the rabbit hole. When the mole is finally revealed and confronted, it is both heartbreaking and satisfying. Overall, a great end to the season, but a sad one.
In addition to 10 great episodes, you'll also find five short featurettes ranging from the challenges of shooting the first episode, to the women of 19, the blowout between Nick and Ben, discussion on the characters' darker sides, and finally, the hunt for the mole. Personally, I'd prefer these more focused short featurettes to the behind the scenes footage, although I suspect these were webisodes for Bravo.
19-2: Season 2 is definitely better than its first season, having finally found its place. The action has really ramped up and I find myself quite invested in all of the characters. It'll be interesting to see where things go next season, since losing a team member will change the dynamics of the show. All in all, a great procedural cop drama and one not to be missed if you enjoy these types of shows.
