‘Ballard’ Episode 6 Recap: “Beneath The Surface”

14 victims of a serial killer, memorialized by this unknown monster in a grotesque menagerie of stolen mementos. Naturally, the storage unit discovered at the conclusion of Episode 6 of Ballard becomes the site of a full-on evidence workup. But incredibly, after such a huge break as this, Captain Mustache (Berchem) wants to take the case away from Ballard and give it to RHD. Come on dude. It was her staff of dedicated volunteers that did the leg work on this thing. No one else, and certainly not the supposed hotshots in Robbery-Homicide. Ballard defends her team, and buys a little time. But they were already up against it. “We’re juggling a police conspiracy and a serial killer, so it’s not like we can put either of them on hold.” Back to work. 

A man named Mike Garrison, who owned the blue van that led Colleen to her discovery, is now the prime suspect in the murder of Sarah Pearlman and the other women. Or he was, for like two seconds. Darcy (Danielle Perez), the LAPD the evidence tech, asks Detective Ballard not to shoot the messenger, because it turns out Garrison’s DNA matches with a body recovered way back in 1997 up in Five Points. The camera spirals on Ballard’s face like she’s in an existential nightmare. “That predates everything in my timeline!”

Not only is Garrison not the killer, he’s one of the victims. In Fresno County, Ballard receives murder books on Garrison and a Jane Doe who was found nearby his body. COD: strangulation, the serial killer’s preferred MO. “She was the target,” Parker says back at the office, as they add two more names to their whiteboard of victims. “Garrison was an obstacle.”

With this setback, at least there is movement on the Anthony “Montana” Driscoll front. While Laffont and Ballard are staking out his place, Aaron shows up with “sandos” from Ghost, another proper noun LA place that looks crazy delicious. (Michael Cassidy’s character is no longer just Lifeguard Guy, because Ballard finally referred to him by name.) But Aaron’s gotta get out of Laffont’s Crown Vic – he raises an eyebrow at the peck on her cheek; “Don’t start” – because Driscoll is suddenly on the move.

If only the detectives could’ve gotten a better angle on the cartel cop’s parking structure rendezvous with the driver of an LAPD black-and-white out of Hollywood Division. They would’ve seen the stacks of cash Driscoll dropped at the feet of the blue suit he meets. As it is, they’re left running for the exits, and Montana is in the wind again. 

Hard-fought leads are dissolving in both the serial killer case and the hush-hush conspiracy case, and Detective Ballard is at a point of physical exhaustion that no coffee or green tea gift from Colleen can fix. She’s forgetting appointments – like a promise to drive Tutu to the airport – and when sleep does arrive, it’s on exhaustion’s terms. Fitful, and full of confused stress dreams about her father’s death by surfing. But when she imagines it’s her beneath the surface, suffocating, that’s only because in real life she’s actually choking. Driscoll has attacked her in her home.

Renée Ballard isn’t going out like this. In a tense, propulsive fight sequence, the skimasked Driscoll inflicts serious damage, but she inflicts more. As Lola barks outside and scrabbles to get in, Ballard stabs her attacker with shards from a shattered picture frame before finally crushing his windpipe with a powerful elbow jab. “I got you, motherfucker” – but like the almost discovery of a serial killer’s identity, the victory is momentary. If this guy dies because of a crushed airway, “everybody gets away with it.”  

Now, we hate to keep mentioning The Pitt – actually, no we don’t; we really miss The Pitt – but if Ballard had one of Dr. Abbott’s tactical airway kits, she wouldn’t have had to frantically call Aaron the Lifeguard/EMT for a somewhat far-fetched instant over-the-phone tutorial on getting Driscoll breathing. Doesn’t matter anyway, though, because check this out: Mr. Tony Montana lover is so cartel committed, he yanks her improvised breathing tube out of his own splayed-open throat and dies, right there on Ballard’s kitchen floor.

(This is also where we have to mention the fate of poor Javier Fuentes. Caught up in Ballard’s investigation by providing the information that broke open the cops-to-cartel gun circuit, Javi was targeted by Driscoll. Here in Episode 6, he is viciously shivved in the shower as a prison guard impassively looks on. Hang on, Richard Cabral!)

After Ballard and Parker shared their stories  of trauma over their mutual assault at the hands of Detective Olivas, Ballard spoke in bitter dismissal of trying to do anything official about it. She had tried. For months. And all it got her was the brotherhood’s closing ranks around Olivas and a dismissal from RHD. But Parker can’t leave it alone. Won’t. This man is out here holding taco truck LAPD meet-and-greets with kids and families. A “white knight” in the community. How can they be the only women who see him for who he really is? As Olivas prepares to leave the taco event and go home to his own wife and children, Parker steps from the shadows. “You raped me.” 

Parker stands and faces him. “You raped me, and then spent months gaslighting me. You’re a monster. You hide it well, but I can see you.” They are in an alley nearby the event; there is no one else around. And when Olivas suddenly dropped the nice guy act, we became worried for Parker’s safety. But it’s almost worse that Olivas doesn’t lash out at her physically. “You and Ballard in your knitting circle” – he spits the words. They think they’re gonna come at him now? Ballard already cried wolf once, and look how that went. Olivas climbs into his cruiser as Parker stands with her fists clenched. And then one final gut punch, before this predator hiding in plain sight drives off. Back to his work. “Hey partner, need a ride?”  

Johnny Loftus (@johnnyloftus.bsky.social) is a Chicago-based writer. A veteran of the alternative weekly trenches, his work has also appeared in Entertainment Weekly, Pitchfork, The All Music Guide, and The Village Voice.