Toronto police Detective Kevin O'Brien (Scott Hylands) surprises his barkeep girlfriend Nicole Rimbaud (Susan Hogan) on her birthday presenting her with her old sports car - repaired, freshly cleaned and waxed. They drive off together followed by a pair of creepy hoodlums Tiller (the talented Barclay Hope) and Hatch (the unforgettable Denis Forrest - Rest In Peace).
The brakes give out causing Nicki to flip the car. Kevin escapes with a mild concussion and a few scratches. Nicki isn't as lucky - she can't move. Hatch phones the hospital to taunt O'Brien and claim responsibility.
The coke-head baddies are henchmen of vindictive rich girl/drug-dealer Abby Malvern (the mercurial Kirsten Bishopric) - daughter of a powerful politico. O'Brien tried to bust her a few years earlier but couldn't make it stick. Instead they got Tiller, Hatch and Lawrence sent up seven years each for trafficking. Lawrence - Abby's boyfriend died in a prison knife fight. Malvern, Tiller and Hatch blame O'Brien for it.
O'Brien - banged up from the crash is framed for police brutality then murder by Abby and her associates. Kevin's friends take their turn to step in and try to help him. Will their assistance be as effective as Abby Malvern's friends have been?
One of the things which made Canadian cop show 'Night Heat' so special was its multi-layered exploration of criminal cases which put it a notch above the standard 'police procedural' formula. The scope is wider and presented from different angles.
Police reporter Tom Kirkwood (Allan Royal) writes about the exploits of his childhood friend - local police Detective Kevin O'Brien. Kirkwood's column is entitled 'Night Heat' and his narration reading the words from his column about the latest big case is the framing device for the show. He adds his interpretation to the story arc as O'Brien forms it via by-the book (but by no means dispassionate) police work.
An underrated but integral part of that multi-layered dynamic is Susan Hogan's turn as the earthy, wise and sexy barkeep Nickie Rimbaud. Whilst ostensibly the love-interest for the hero cop O'Brien she often injects a humanistic, civilian take on things contrasting her boyfriend's cop view of things and the cold journalistic interpretations of their friend Tom Kirkwood.
This episode which makes her a victim of violent crime is thus a natural progression in the storyline. The constant struggle of the cops at the Midsouth precinct to remain emotionally disconnected from the effects of their work is no longer a tenable pretense. Even cops who aren't friends of O'Brien drink at Nickie's bar and she is something more than a server to them.
The brakes give out causing Nicki to flip the car. Kevin escapes with a mild concussion and a few scratches. Nicki isn't as lucky - she can't move. Hatch phones the hospital to taunt O'Brien and claim responsibility.
The coke-head baddies are henchmen of vindictive rich girl/drug-dealer Abby Malvern (the mercurial Kirsten Bishopric) - daughter of a powerful politico. O'Brien tried to bust her a few years earlier but couldn't make it stick. Instead they got Tiller, Hatch and Lawrence sent up seven years each for trafficking. Lawrence - Abby's boyfriend died in a prison knife fight. Malvern, Tiller and Hatch blame O'Brien for it.
O'Brien - banged up from the crash is framed for police brutality then murder by Abby and her associates. Kevin's friends take their turn to step in and try to help him. Will their assistance be as effective as Abby Malvern's friends have been?
One of the things which made Canadian cop show 'Night Heat' so special was its multi-layered exploration of criminal cases which put it a notch above the standard 'police procedural' formula. The scope is wider and presented from different angles.
Police reporter Tom Kirkwood (Allan Royal) writes about the exploits of his childhood friend - local police Detective Kevin O'Brien. Kirkwood's column is entitled 'Night Heat' and his narration reading the words from his column about the latest big case is the framing device for the show. He adds his interpretation to the story arc as O'Brien forms it via by-the book (but by no means dispassionate) police work.
An underrated but integral part of that multi-layered dynamic is Susan Hogan's turn as the earthy, wise and sexy barkeep Nickie Rimbaud. Whilst ostensibly the love-interest for the hero cop O'Brien she often injects a humanistic, civilian take on things contrasting her boyfriend's cop view of things and the cold journalistic interpretations of their friend Tom Kirkwood.
This episode which makes her a victim of violent crime is thus a natural progression in the storyline. The constant struggle of the cops at the Midsouth precinct to remain emotionally disconnected from the effects of their work is no longer a tenable pretense. Even cops who aren't friends of O'Brien drink at Nickie's bar and she is something more than a server to them.