Content Warning: the following article contains discussions/depictions of drug abuse, violence, and sexual assault.
With City on a Hill's third season renewal, it appears audiences will have plenty more time with Jackie Rohr and Decourcy Ward. Set in 1990s Boston, Showtime's City on a Hill is a consistently tense interplay between struggling people on the opposite sides of the law.
However, there are always moments that stand out. From shouting to shooting, City on a Hill always has an intense hook to keep viewers interested.
Jackie's Reaction To Forced Retirement
Jackie Rohr is a powderkeg. This has never been more apparent than in the second season where threats of losing his job loom large. Taking the FBI is basically in Jackie's DNA, and his reaction was perfectly in character.
He ensures his superior officer that no man can (in certain words) castrate Jackie Rohr. His immediate and shocking scream into a reporter's face shortly after is indicative of Bacon's suit for the role.
Jimmy Ratting On Frankie
The first season of the show has a heavy focus on sibling armored car robbers Frankie and Jimmy. Frankie (Jonathan Tucker) tends to run the show, with younger brother Jimmy consistently trying to prove himself.
However, things take a turn when pressure from all angles takes Jimmy over. He cuts a deal with Jackie Rohr and the department to rip his beloved brother from his family indefinitely.
Herpes Scare
Jackie Rohr is a married man who regularly sees a sex worker. This leads to a few issues. First, a herpes scare that he sees an unfamiliar doctor about (to keep anonymity). The unfamiliar doctor then proceeds to call the house to inform him that he has no reason to worry.
Unfortunately, the doctor gets Jackie's mother-in-law instead and has apparently forgotten all about doctor-patient confidentiality. From there, she relays opposite information to a seething Jackie. These two characters have a terrific dynamic, and this scene is the standout.
Siobhan Gets Shot
When the son of a local community leader is exposed by DeCourcy to be the murderous robber that he is, he takes his revenge. Running up to DeCourcey's car in the middle of the night, he approaches the driver's side window and fires two shots.
What he doesn't realize is that DeCourcy's pregnant wife, Siobhan, is also in the car. Furthermore, Siobhan just so happens to be this man's attorney.
Siobhan Loses The Baby
A big focus in season two is DeCourcy and wife Siobhan's bickering over the right time to bring a child into the world. He doesn't think it's safe while she thinks of the ticking clock. When they postpone the conversation for the umpteenth time, she receives the news that she is, in fact, already pregnant.
The news is met with a mixed reaction by her husband (featuring some terrific acting from the soon to blow up Aldis Hodge). However, when she runs into the bathroom in the middle of the night and has a miscarriage, he ends up taking their new stroller into the alley and smashing it to pieces.
11-Year-Old Killed By A Stray Bullet
Violence in Boston is a well-worn topic, and it's covered here as well. This is unsurprising considering City on a Hill is produced by both Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. The second season premiere upped the ante by having a drug deal gone wrong.
Now, this isn't uncharted territory, but a stray bullet flying into an 11-year-old's bedroom and hitting her in the head is (for the most part). While this kind of thing has been done on television and in the movies before, it does not dilute the scene's impact.
Cathy Shoots Jimmy
Jimmy Ryan was a liability and it was only a matter of time. Cathy Ryan, the wife of Jimmy's older brother Frankie, has put up with him to the best of her ability for quite some time. Dealing with his drug use, yelling, and putting her kids in danger, Cathy eventually had enough.
When she starts dealing heroin to pay the bills, she goes to Jimmy to get more. However, she's short on money. Jimmy knows how it works: you don't get a warning, you get a bullet. He relays that information to her only to hear certainty in her voice as she tells him that won't happen. When he turns around, she shows him what she means.
The Assault Of Jackie's Daughter
The most gut-wrenching scene of the series thus far comes from the first season, when Jackie Rohr's daughter, Benedetta, meets up with Jackie's informant, Clay Roach (Rory Culkin).
Clay proceeds to introduce her to heroin. She lays back on a dingy cot sitting on the floor and enters a trance. However, the repulsive Clay then lets in a series of men, one after the other. It's a scene that shows the series pulls no punches and doesn't mind showing the evils of the real world.
Jackie Murders Clay Roach
When Clay Roach did what he did to Jackie Rohr's daughter, he did it for a purpose: revenge against Jackie. Bad idea, as once Benedetta returns home, she eventually drops Clay's name to her mother. While her mother isn't familiar with the name, Jackie clearly is later on when he and his wife discuss their daughter's condition.
Jackie does some searching, but he has a pretty good idea where Clay is. He finds him in his usual flophouse, high out of his mind. While he initially denies involvement, he transitions into rubbing his actions in Jackie's face. This results in a point-blank bullet through the teeth.
The Botched Robbery
The season one finale of City on a Hill ends with an emotional bang. But, the penultimate episode ends with a series of bangs. As Frankie, Jimmy, and the crew approach an armored car loading up at the bank, they hear sirens. Then, they see cops (including the recurring character Detective Hank Signa) coming from all sides.
It doesn't take long for Frankie to see that Jimmy was aware such a thing would happen. However, he doesn't kill his brother. It still all falls apart when Jackie enters the scene, resulting in the death of the aforementioned Detective Signa.