For a relatively lighthearted crime procedural, “R.J. Decker” goes to a surprisingly dark place in its Season 2 finale. In fact, series star Bevin Bru tells TVLine, “I get goosebumps just talking about the ending of that episode.”
The finale, which aired Tuesday, ends on a cliffhanger — or an “edge-of-the-earth hanger,” as Bru prefers to call it — with a dangerous woman named Jessica putting Mel’s wife and daughter in her crosshairs. Why, you ask? Earlier in the episode, R.J. (Scott Speedman) and Mel (Bevin Bru) expose Jessica as a serial scammer, one who may have killed her cop husband to collect his life insurance. When CPS catches wind of the allegations against Jessica, her daughter Danielle is removed from her custody. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a motive!
“I don’t know who I am without her, Mel,” Jessica says during a chilling phone call. “I wonder who you’ll be without your family.” Jessica is then revealed to be watching Catherine and Sofia outside of their house, and with Mel and R.J. all the way at the trailer park, time is not on their side.
Bru recalls audibly gasping when she first read the finale script. “When I saw that my wife and my daughter get kidnapped, I was just like, ‘This is crazy,'” she says. “Your family being potentially kidnapped or murdered? You don’t get higher stakes than that. I felt so many ways reading that script. And now we need a Season 3, because what’s going to happen?”
The situation certainly seems dire for Catherine (Adelaide Clemens) and Sofia (Melodie Rose Romano), but Bru says she has a plan to rescue them — if only “R.J. Decker” showrunner Rob Doherty would let her do it.
The showrunner of R.J. Decker has already vetoed one potential Season 3 twist
Bevin Bru was so fixated on the finale’s twist ending, she called up “R.J. Decker” showrunner Rob Doherty as soon as she read it.
“I was like, ‘OK, if I was in the situation, here’s what I would do,'” Bru tells TVLine of her call to Doherty, which included her pitching an entire plan about keeping Jessica on the phone while she sends a SWAT team to infiltrate the house.
But it was what Bru said next that Doherty simply had to veto: “Poor Estelle, the elderly neighbor, I would have to use her as a decoy,” Bru tells TVLine. “I would call Estelle and be like, ‘Estelle, oh my God, Catherine’s phone died. I need you to get some sugar to the house right now, because she’s cooking.’ And then Estelle would go in and that would buy me some time. Of course I hope Estelle lives, but for the family, we have to get creative and think outside of the box.”
“Rob was just like, ‘No, we’re not going to sacrifice Estelle,'” Bru recalls with a laugh. “I was like, ‘I know, that’s not my first choice. I’m just saying if I had to — if we really had to — Estelle should have that chance.”
Team Emi vs. Team Trudy
Even with just seven episodes, the second season of “R.J. Decker” covered quite a bit of ground, including introducing a new love interest for the titular private investigator. Things were heating up between R.J. and Emi (Jaina Lee Ortiz) last season, but their romance was derailed by the fallout from her father’s murder, making R.J. a free agent in the love game once again.
R.J. soon found his next match in a quirky scientist named Trudy (Shantel VanSanten), with whom he appears to be forming a genuine connection. But will things last between them, or is R.J. bound to find his way back to Emi in a potential third season?
“Mel’s not horribly invested in R.J.’s love life,” Bevin Bru tells TVLine. “Mel is just like, who do you like? Either way, I’ll support you. I’ll be a great wingman. You like Trudy now? You’re vibing with Trudy? Fine. You like Emi? Great, go be with Emi.”
But that doesn’t mean the actress doesn’t have a preference herself: “I love Jaina so much, so as Bevin, I say he needs to be with Emi,” Bru says. “She’s like my best friend. And we need more Emi and Mel scenes in Season 3!”
Is R.J. Decker coming back to ABC for Season 3?
ABC has yet to make a decision in regards to renewing “R.J. Decker” for a third season, but star Bevin Bru tells TVLine that she’s “hopeful” the network will decide to bring it back.
“That’s another case for R.J. to crack, the mystery of Season 3,” Bru says. “I haven’t heard anything, but everyone I’ve talked to loves the show, even overseas. We’re always Top 10 everywhere, here and overseas, every week Hulu and Disney+. So I believe in my heart that people are enjoying the show. I just think it’s a fun, light show. Especially given all the heavy stuff that’s always happening in the world, it’s nice to have this show that’s quirky, it wraps up, we have awesome guest stars, and it’s just nice TV. I’m hopeful for Season 3.”
Besides enjoying working with the cast and crew, Bru is hoping for a third season of “R.J. Decker” in order to keep playing a character she’s come to respect and appreciate over the years.
“I genuinely think Mel is so cool,” Bru says. “She’s so composed and confident, and she has such a big heart. I love how grounded she is — I envy that in her — and I also love how she can surprise you by being a bit edgier than you’d expect. I just think she’s so well-written and fun to play.”
OK, let’s talk: Are you hoping that ABC will renew “R.J. Decker” for Season 3? What are your theories about how this kidnapping ordeal might play out? And as far as R.J.’s love life is concerned, are you Team Emi or Team Trudy? Grade the finale and season in our polls below, then drop a comment with more of your thoughts.
