On Backstrom Season 1 Episode 3 Backstrom's ex-fianceé accuses him of thinking there is always a bad guy laughing at him. These words proved to be worth remembering as we saw how Backstrom solved this week's case. 

There were more than a couple of interesting things about this hour of Backstrom. Let's begin the breakdown by starting with Backstrom's character development. 

I was taken aback (not shocked) to to find out that Backstrom was engaged to a very attractive woman named Amy 10 years ago.

Not only were the two engaged, but she is still carrying a torch for the man that she thinks was meant to be an artist instead of a cop. That was an interesting notion and it made me much more aware of the fact that Backstrom keeps his feelings much closer to his sleeve than I realized. 

Backstrom is an incredibly aware person when it comes to understanding the darkness in people, that much we have seen so far. Amy seems to think he should have been an artist because he is too sensitive to be a cop.

Backstrom: You always said I shouldn't be a cop.
Amy: Too sensitive. In your heart you are an artist.

• Permalink: Too sensitive. In your heart you are an artist.

I am skeptical about whether or not being a cop would have made him happier. As a cop he has to see dead bodies and face the aftermath of violent crimes on a regular basis, but I think he is proud of the fact that he catches criminals.  

We also learned that Police Chief Cervantes and Backstrom used to be partners. The comments about how she knew Amy when her and Backstrom started dating made for an interesting introduction to Cervantes. It also leaves a lot of room to explore the relationship between all three characters in the future. 

Gravely made an interesting comment when she said that her job was to make sure that Backstrom's evidence stood up in court. Before this we knew that Backstrom was the leader of the team, but now the rest of the gang's positions are starting to become more clear. 

The statement also implied the team is not exactly new to each other, but that they have been working together for some time. This would explain why they seem to know each other so well already, and why Nadia and Backstrom have an interesting relationship.  

As for the case this week, the team was ready to close it, until Backstrom figured out who the real killer was based on yet another one of his  hunches. There appears to be something to this imaginary bad guy that laughs at Backstrom and helps him catch killers. Although, unfortunately this time the team had to settle with a statutory rape charge as punishment for murder. Sadly, I don't know if they would ever be able to prove actual murder. 

The show has made it clear so far that it's primary focus is on the relationships that the characters have with each other, and possibly about their own individual development. The show also features strong cases with some dark themes. I like that the the show is trying to use more original material, except that in this episode the handling of the church murder case was the bigger source of comedic relief, and was somewhat overpowered by the character story lines.

There was the the fanatic outside the church with a camera, there was Backstom referring to himself as a walrus and there was the teen drama going on within Emma's semester. If the show wants to go with a dark humor then I think it should stick to that. For me, some of the jokes just didn't seem to fit in with what the show seemingly wants to be.  

Overall, I still like this show, but I don't love it. It is entertainment, but I don't feel that engaged with it yet. 

What did you think of this episode? What did you think of the reveals about Backstrom's past? Do you think Amy should make another appearance? What did you think about the case? 

Remember, you can watch Backstrom online via TV Fanatic!