It’s a pity that CBS’ Battle Creek was cancelled after just one season, as the Vince Gilligan/David Shore-created show had created some refreshing and fascinating twists on the typical police procedural and had the potential to be great for years. Sadly, the May 8 news of its cancellation wasn’t all that unexpected, given the show’s less-than-stellar ratings (especially in the coveted key demographic of 18 to 49-year-olds).
Despite that, Battle Creek seemed to reach an even higher high in its final episodes, wrapping up long-running storylines in a way that felt natural rather than rushed and giving us some of the best moments of the series in the process. It’s unclear if the final episodes were re-edited at all in the wake of the cancellation, but if they were, it was an excellent pivot and a way to reward fans and give them closure. Battle Creek will be missed, but at least it went out on the best possible terms.
The series finale (spoilers follow), “Sympathy For The Devil,” reflected some of the issues around the series’ cancellation in its own internal structure. FBI agent Milt Chamberlain (Josh Duhamel) is seemingly blown up by a car bomb before the title sequence, which creates plenty of tension. Yes, it’s highly unlikely a show would take out one of its leads that quickly into an episode (and it’s revealed soon after that Milt has survived), but the twists the writers have thrown into Battle Creek makes for at least some nervousness.
The early car bomb also shows us the stakes we’re dealing with here; yes, this show’s characters have faced significant danger before, particularly with the bomb that almost blew up several detectives in “Gingerbread Man” and with the kidnapping of Russ Agnew (Dean Winters) in episode 10, “Stockholm,” but this is the first case where someone’s specifically going after a particular cop. It’s an appropriate escalation for a season finale, and an even more appropriate one considering it’s the last episode of this show we’re likely to ever see.
The terrific storytelling that’s been a hallmark of Battle Creek throughout is fully on display in “Sympathy For The Devil,” too. The show raises a whole variety of questions early on in the episode (“Who’s trying to kill Milt?” “Why do they want him dead?” “Why does Milt have a secret car, and why didn’t he tell the other detectives what’s going on?”), but doles out answers slowly throughout.
Flashbacks are used effectively here, especially when Milt and Russ have been kidnapped and are riding to their supposed deaths in the trunk of a car, which is what finally motivates Milt to tell Russ the answer to the most crucial plotline of this show: the truth about how he wound up in Battle Creek. It turns out Milt became a stickler for rules and procedures after his unconventional usage of a teenage informant got the informant killed, and his goody-two-shoes nature annoyed his FBI colleagues to the point where they had to find a remote outpost for him, somewhere he couldn’t make others look bad.
The resolution to the series’ longest-running mystery is appreciated, and the decision to put it in this season’s finale was a very smart one. Yes, if Battle Creek was on a more firm ratings threshold and sure to return, they might have been able to drag the reason for Milt’s presence in town out over at least one more season. With the show always in danger of cancellation, though, the decision to give it closure (whether that was made before or after the official cancellation) was a good one, and one that should mean this series is well-remembered by fans.
On that front, it recalled memories of NBC’s excellent Awake, another cleverly unconventional cop show that was gone before its time, but at least managed to answer some of the questions it raised (albeit not all of them) on the way out. That’s much better than shows that leave significant threads dangling in hopes of renewal and then leave with no answers. It’s unfortunate we won’t get to spend more time with the cast of Battle Creek, but at least viewers aren’t left feeling cheated.
As for that mystery of Milt’s assignment to Battle Creek itself, it’s a believable and logical story, but one that very few would have predicted. It’s also one that shows our two anti-buddy cops have much more in common than they’d like to admit. That’s something Battle Creek has been building towards, though, with Milt occasionally stepping outside of his by-the-book approach and Russ showing his softer side (especially in episode 11, “The Hand-Off,” where he has much more sympathy for a suspected murderer than anyone else does, and in episode 12, “Homecoming,” where he and Holly Dale (Aubrey Dollar) finally fulfill their will-they-or-won’t-they arc).
Russ and Milt may have started out as opposites who can barely stand each other, but Battle Creek isn’t just about the case-of-the-week they solve; it’s about the way these drastically different detectives complement each other, and how their relationship grows as time goes on. “Sympathy For The Devil” puts a nice bow on that, illustrating just what made Milt the way he is and why he feels the need to work with Russ.
That flashback story has its own twists and turns, though, and it’s far from just a character moment, especially when it comes to its shocking resolution. The tension inherent throughout the flashback, plus the knowledge that this is all going on while the leads are headed towards their own apparent deaths, adds to the roller-coaster ride of the episode overall. The well-crafted storytelling ensures that the audience gets the answers they want, but never too quickly and never with a decrease in tension. In less-skilled hands, the flashback sequences could feel like a lot of unnecessary exposition, but Shore (who co-wrote the finale with Thomas Moran) manages to not only make them feel vital to the episode, but also like some of its most exciting moments.
Something else that stood out with Battle Creek is the clever ways it managed to use its supporting cast. All of the various detectives had their moments over the course of the series, from Aaron Funkhauser (Edward Fordham Jr.)’s wedding plans and love of high school football to Fontanelle White (Kal Penn)’s medical marijuana and near-death experience to Erin Jacocks (Liza Lapiri)’s relationship advice to Niblet (Damon Herriman)’s general timidity. Holly felt like a reasonably well-rounded character, not just a love interest for Russ, while medical examiner Meredith Oberling (Meredith Eaton)’s disdain for Russ and love of Milt was hilarious. Commander Guziewicz (Janet McTeer) was one of the standouts of the series, showing unexpected dimensions both through her relationship with her foster son (Rotimi) and the way she effectively manages troublesome detectives like Russ.
While all of them, and Guziewicz and White in particular, had important roles in the finale, the supporting cast may actually be the biggest loser of the decision not to renew this show. There was a lot of material to explore with these characters, but we didn’t get as far into it as we could have with only one season.
Still, Shore and Gilligan managed to create a well-fleshed-out universe, with plenty of personalities beyond just the lead actors. They effectively used guest actors, too, including Patton Oswalt, Peter Jacobsen, Candice Bergen, and David Marciano and Alex Carter (who both previously worked with Shore on Due South, a show that had plenty of similarities to Battle Creek). This was shown again in “Sympathy For The Devil” with the casting of Robert Sean Leonard (who worked with Shore on House) as the father of the dead informant and the guy gunning for Milt; Leonard gets very little actual screen time in the episode, but he makes it count, presenting a tortured, frightening character who has logical reasons for going as far as he did. Actually, many of Battle Creek‘s actors did a lot with a little time, which speaks further to how well this show was cast.
As for the series’ final moments, they managed to maintain the roller-coaster feel of the rest of the episode. Russ and Milt looked doomed at first, but then Milt’s persuasive argument to let Russ go and Russ’ refusal to leave both upped the stakes and showed off their character development. The arrival of Guziewicz and White illustrated their detecting skills and momentarily relieved the tension, but then Milt’s power play at the end intensified the stakes once again, in a way that felt natural to the character.
The ending itself, with Leonard’s character shooting Milt in the chest and Russ telling him he’s going to be okay, is one thing that might actually be enhanced by the series’ cancellation. With no further episodes, it’s left up to the viewer whether that’s an accurate comment or a platitude; the sense from here (as well as from most other reviewers) is that Milt lives, but it seems at least somewhat open to interpretation. The final image we’ll likely see of these two is Russ holding Milt in his arms, and it’s up to the viewer to write the rest.
Shore, Gilligan and their staff did an excellent job of creating a compelling world, and it’s appreciated that they decided to reveal its secrets by the end, giving viewers some closure. It’s unfortunate that Battle Creek is gone, but it will be fondly remembered, and at least it was able to go out on top.
