RIZZOLI & ISLES: A “Dirty Little Secret” Brings the Frenemies Back Together

The friction between Rizzoli & Isles lasted longer than I expected, but thank goodness we’re back to normal now. It only took a near-death experience and bonding over the possibility of Maura losing a leg to make it happen.

When a yoga-loving ecology grad student is found murdered in the tunnels underneath her university, Rizzoli, Isle, Frost, and Korsak catch the case. Rizzoli is late to the scene, however, thanks to her father showing up after disappearing to Florida for a year. He tries some bonding with the guys until Jane calls him on his disappearing act, at which point he reveals the real reason he’s in town: distributing wedding invitations. Turns out he’s marrying a woman who is younger than his kids. Tommy isn’t surprised by the news, because he introduced the happy couple. After he slept with her. Yikes.

While Jane and Maura are working that case, and trading barbs, Frost and Frankie take a “floater” who washes up on shore. The deceased is a professor specializing in hydrocology, an environmental science that looks at the connection between water and animal life. Meanwhile, Maura’s autopsy reveals that the yoga student had been submerged in polluted water. It doesn’t take long for our heroes to connect the two dead bodies and eventually discover that the sensei running the yoga studio where the dead student spent $25,000 (!!!) has been frakking on his recently purchased 20,000 acre of land. Frakking is a controversial method of drilling for natural gas that results in hundreds of chemicals being pumped into underground water reservoirs. The yoga student and the professor found out what was happening and were killed for knowing too much.

That’s the case of the week, which was somewhat interesting, but it’s how that case affects Maura and Jane that’s really important. After Frost, Korsak, and Mama Rizzoli arrange for the pair to investigate the sensei’s land together, they’re discovered and as they’re driving away with evidence from the lake on the property, a vehicle smashes into their car. Maura is seriously injured, to the extent that she may lose her leg if Jane can’t stop the bleeding. Jane calls on her Sprout Troop skills (yeah, she was a Sprout Trooper) to treat Maura in the wild, but the sensei and his minions find them before they can get to safety. An attempted double homicide by drowning in their (totaled) car is averted when Korsak decodes a garbled text message and arrives as the car is filling with water. Back at Casa Rizzoli, apologies are make, hugs are given, and all is right with the world again. Aside from Papa Rizzoli’s impending marriage, that is.

I’m glad it took longer than half an episode, or even a whole episode, for Maura and Jane to resolve this fight with each other. Jane shot Maura’s bio-dad; that’s a pretty big deal. And Maura retaliated in some hurtful ways. It shows how close they truly are that they could each be hurt so badly by what happened, and I appreciate that proper weight was given to the situation. But I’m glad they’re at peace now.

Rizzoli & Isles airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on TNT.