‘Ultra City Smiths’ Recap: ‘The Little Baby Hand Pinky Grip Thing’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Four of ‘Ultra City Smiths’.

For the most part, crime dramas and crime related stories, tend to keep their focus on the hero and the villain and it makes sense as to why. After all, we dive into these particular tales to ponder upon the nature of good versus evil and watch a battle between those elements take place, and the best way to do that, is to have the story focus heavily on the two characters that embody those elements through and through and this works so well, that you rarely see crime stories deviate from that formula. But once in a while, a creative mind figures out a way to shake things up and provide the reader or viewer with a supremely unique and dynamic crime story that defies said formula and for proof, then look no further than the next episode of Ultra City Smiths.

For ‘The Little Baby Hand Pinky Grip Thing’ is a story that takes the time to put the engrossing case that Mills, and Nico are working on, on the back burner. All so that the story could focus on the support characters in this town in a manner that allowed for us to better get to know some of the reasoning for their actions and what drives a person to crime and that led to some fascinating vignettes. Such as the one involving Trish McSapphire, since her time in this tale allowed for us to understand exactly why she wasn’t upset with the fact that Christopher K. Smith abandoned her as a child after she learned from him, that he was her father. Mainly because she understood what it takes for a parent to bid a child farewell and how that severed connection is easier than one might give it credit, giving way to a poignant and powerful segment, one that explored an aspect of our world we simply don’t talk about all that often. 

But while that was indeed fascinating and unique, there was mention of an examination of what drives people to a life of crime and in some cases, it’s about doing what must be done to handle a desperate situation. Such as say, paying an impossible medical bill. Since Street Hustler Boy found out that a neck reduction surgery might save his beloved 34th Street Chuck, and that motivated him to collect some old and rusted guns and assemble a crew to rob a bank. In the hopes of getting the money he needs for his love and really, what made this segment so worthwhile and of note, is the sheer fact that this vignette… opens one’s eyes to the world. Because it hammers home the fact that not all crime is committed in the name of malice. Sometimes it is indeed about changing fortunes when some have no other options in life and that is a lesson that will definitely stay with all of us for some time.

However, this is still a crime drama and all comedic moments and unique explorations aside, once the opportunity was there for the story to put the big case back in the spotlight it sure did, in an epic manner no less. For Nico and Mills’ ability to move the case along and start to narrow down the owner of the gun… made the brass nervous. To the point where the police chief and the more unsavory folks in Ultra City decided that something needed to be done about the case, now that Nico was focused, and the facts were about to present themselves. Which is why a mysterious assassin made a point to put a bullet in Nico when he and Mills almost uncovered something big, to slow the whole thing down or get the chief to call it off and that really is a powerful twist to inject into this fascinating tale.

One that really did a fine job of exploring crime and its dynamics in a manner that few shows ever bother to. Since they truly stand by the age-old formula over anything else, which made this examination of the greyer nature of crime quite refreshing. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that we finally spent a little time with the quirky characters that populate this world in an intimate manner and that the comedy was also top notch in this tale. Since the jokes in this story really do keep this plot light and engaging and well, now that we’ve reached the end of this wonderful episode, we’re back to waiting impatiently for the next chapter of the story. One that will hopefully see Nico survive his injuries so he can finish his redemption arc and of course, help Mills to solve the incredible case before them so that Ultra City can finally understand a taste of what justice is like. Until next time.  

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