What makes Black & White such a solid thriller drama lies in it’s script and filming being fully completed prior to broadcast. Without the need to cater to audience whims or extension requests, the plot is well thought out and the presentation flows smoothly. The action and plot exposition pieces are deftly woven with the character interactions. The romance aspect doesn’t feel forced or clunky, and is definitively of the mature variety.

This episode was more about police investigation, introducing a deadly gang of professionals that are sure to torment our heroes going forward, and dropping the hint that there might be a mole in the South Precinct. Now who’s surprised by that? Question is: who is the mole, and who does this mole work for? Finally, this episode also shows us that the foursquare of love is complicated and tentative all at once.

Action 6 recap:

Pi Zi grabs Chen Ling for a kiss to keep her from struggling. Initially wide-eyed in shock, Chen Ling slowly closes her eyes as the kiss deepens and lingers and continues.

Slowly Pi Zi and Chen Ling tip over until they fall on the sofa. They fall apart and lay there for a minute looking at each other. Chen Ling quickly gets up and grabs her clothes to run off. She tells Pi Zi that tomorrow she’ll send someone to replace the tub and also remove anything else she’d touched. After she leaves, Pi Zi sits down in silence.

The next morning, Ying Xiong enters the precinct to find Pi Zi sitting in front of his computer with a contemplative look on his face. Pi Zi looks up and stares at Ying Xiong a minute too long, leading the latter to ask what’s up with Pi Zi? Ying Xiong tells Pi Zi to just say it since it looks like he has something to say. Not sure how one goes about saying “I kissed the brains out of the girl you totally have a crush on, dude.”

Pi Zi gets up to walk over to Ying Xiong (to confess the kiss last night) only to have Hulk interject and hand to Ying Xiong the list of notable sharp shooters in the country. The top fifteen consists of mostly military men, cops, or gangsters. In fact, Che Jin, the deputy of the San Lian Gang, is on the list. They consider whether Lin Ke Le’s death has something to do with San Lian Gang? Suddenly Lao Li gets a call and announces to the team that the murderer has been apprehended.

The South Precinct Chief explains to the team that Chief Lin herself apprehended the murderer, who was a recent ex-convict that stalked Lin Ke Le. The murder weapon is in the process of being retrieved, and the man has confessed. Ying Xiong wonders why everything is so neat and pat, which sounds so suspicious.

Lao Li agrees, asking the Chief if perhaps they ought to continue their investigation. The death appears highly organized and pre-meditated, doesn’t sound like the work of a lone ex-con. The Chief asks for more info. Ying Xiong explains that based on distance and bullet trajectory, the shooter was an extraordinary sharpshooter who used a simple automatic rifle to shoot Lin Ke Le. The Chief doesn’t think this is enough to warrant re-opening the investigation. His decision is that unless new evidence comes up, this case is closed. The Chief heads off to an important dining engagement.

Pi Zi and Ying Xiong are sitting outside eating lunch, or rather Pi Zi is eating and Ying Xiong is brooding. The roof of the South Precinct is a difficult kill location, and Lin Ke Le’s movements that morning was not preplanned, so how can the killer know? Pi Zi surmises that the killer must’ve followed Ke Le that morning and then ran to the other roof to kill her. But then why wait until Pi Zi showed up to kill Ke Le, since she was up on that roof and an easy target even earlier than that? Pi Zi thinks perhaps he was the original target and Ke Le was the accidental victim? Ying Xiong tells him to stop being idiotic, Pi Zi could have been offed with another bullet that morning easily.

Ying Xiong shares his biggest concern – that Chief Lin appears worried that Lin Ke Le said something to Pi Zi. After lunch, Pi Zi and Ying Xiong are heading back when suddenly they see a bank robbery in progress. Pi Zi calls for backup but Ying Xiong has already taken off chasing the perps since it’ll be too late to wait for reinforcements.

One gunman turns back to shoot at Pi Zi and Ying Xiong, and is taken out by Ying Xiong. The other gunmen stop momentarily, and then keeps running. Ying Xiong hides the dead gunman’s rifle in the bushes to preserve the evidence and then the cops continue chasing the perps.

The robbers get into a car and take off. Ying Xiong fires and hits the vehicle and continues chasing behind it on foot. Pi Zi hides behind a tree wondering how the hell he got stuck being partners with a crazy guy. Ying Xiong manages to shoot out the tires on that car, which grinds to a halt.

Pi Zi and Ying Xiong approach the car when suddenly a black van pulls up and the back doors open. Ying Xiong and Pi Zi duck behind another car as the occupants of both the van and the original getaway car get out and start shooting the bejesus towards Pi Zi and Ying Xiong.

One guy shoots a bullet from a special gun which passes through two doors of the car and hits Ying Xiong in the chest, causing him to go flying. The bad guys finally all get into the van and leave. Pi Zi slowly crawls out to survey the landscape. Ying Xiong is fine and they head back to where the dead guy was.

The dead guy’s body is already gone and the two cops don’t know where the corpse went. The cops from the South Precinct arrive with CSI in tow, and Lan Xi Ling collects evidence from the crime scene. Captain Chen walks over and congratulates his two cops.

There is one dead bank manager, three injured bystanders, one completely bullet riddled car, and even the dead body of one of the robbers is missing. To top it off, the robbers made off with NT1.2 million. Captain Chen asks if Double Happiness is a trouble attracting magnate? He asks why the cases are never ending at the South Precinct with them two around. The bank president arrives and goes to talk with Captain Chen.

Xi Yong tells Ying Xiong that the robbers were thorough and left no evidence behind. The dead bank manager was executed cleanly after he opened the vault. Xi Ying says these guys are sophisticated and prepared. Even after the dead body was moved, they sprayed bleach over the area to remove blood stains. Eye witnesses are no help either – all seeing only military men dressed in all black quickly removing the body. Ying Xiong suddenly remembers that he tossed the dead guy’s weapon into a bush and runs to retrieve it. He hands it to Xi Ying, which correctly identifies it as an automatic rifle.

The cops are back at the South Precinct reviewing the bank robbery and the crime scene. The Chief asks about the automatic rifle and Ying Xiong reports that it doesn’t have any fingerprints and the serial number has been filed off, but it’s the latest model from the US. The rifle has been sent to CSI for evaluation. With the professional and coordinated efforts of the bank robbers, it should narrow down the suspects.

Pi Zi speaks up that the killer of Lin Ke Le was also highly organized and used an automatic rifle. The Chief tells everyone to follow up every lead on this case. Before concluding the meeting, the Chief compliments Pi Zi and Ying Xiong for their quick reaction, which shows the cops are capable of fast mobilization. During this meeting, Captain Chen looks strangely concerned.

Xi Ying is doing tests on the automatic rifle recovered at the scene, including taking a picture of the rifle. She steps away for a minute and when she comes back, she sees Captain Chen studying the rifle. He explains the public tips saw two abandoned vehicles by the river banks so he needs Xi Ying to go collect evidence to perform a tire tread analysis. She packs up the rifle before going to join him.

Lao Li takes Pi Zi and Ying Xiong to the roof of a remote building to meet with a shadowy figure named Ah De. Lao Li explains to Ah De that these two are his cops and will be working with Ah De on this case involving a bank robbery. They need Ah De to find out about who the perps might be, using highly sophisticated weapons. Ah De is told that a AK416 automatic rifle was retrieved, and he explains that this new weapon hasn’t yet shown up in Asia before. Lao Li thinks perhaps the gangs might have sold the weapons to the robbery crew.

Ah De sighs and says he’ll look into before. Before walking away, he reminds Lao Li to speak with the Chief, and remind the Chief that this is Ah De’s last case. After this case, the Chief promised to get Ah De out of the country and allow him to retire. Ah De promised his girlfriend that he will marry her, and their kid is already five years old and still a bastard in name. Ah De leaves and Pi Zi marvels to Lao Li that Ah De is an undercover cop. Lao Li confirms that Ah De is the only living undercover in the San Lian Gang.

Xi Ying comes back to the lab to find the suspect weapon gone. The next morning, Pi Zi arrives at the precinct and finds out from Xiao Lu that the weapon retrieved from the suspect has been stolen from the CSI lab. Xi Ying is explaining to the Chief how it could have happened. Captain Chen explains that he took Xi Ying with him to investigate reports of the suspect vehicles. Yi Xing says the gun and the picture she took have both been stolen, and she didn’t yet have time to investigate the weapon or take down notes. The Chief is pissed at this “coincidental theft”.

Ying Xiong says it has to be someone working from within, to be able to steal Xi Ying’s access card and move within the precinct without being suspected. The Chief informs Xi Ying that she will need to take responsibility because the gun was stolen while under her control.

Pi Zi, Ying Xiong, and Xi Ying go to view surveillance tapes and discover that the recording was turned off at the exact time of the theft only for the cameras recording the CSI room. The camera technician explains that someone is always in the camera room on duty, and all cameras are controlled from there. But there is a possibility of someone hacking in, but it would have to be a very skilled professional.

Chen Ling arrives at the South Precinct and is escorted into the Major Crimes Unit. She brings snacks for the team. Pi Zi and Ying Xiong come back and see her, and Pi Zi immediately flashes back to their kiss. Ying Xiong asks why Chen Ling is here, and she wonders why she can’t come since it’s a police station. She tells Ying Xiong that she has something important to talk with him about, informing him that Mama An passed away quietly last night and she wanted Chen Ling to convey that she is grateful for the help given to her boys.

Chen Ling walks over to Pi Zi and whispers that what happened between them was an accident. If he tells anyone, she will have him tossed into the ocean. Chen Ling walks back to Ying Xiong and explains that her cell phone is missing, so if he needs to call her, to call her house. Everyone tries to eavesdrop on their conversation.

Yi Xing walks in and sees everyone eating snacks around Chen Ling. She walks over to greet Xi Ying. Pi Zi puts his dessert in Xi Ying’s hand saying she can have his, and we see Chen Ling’s face tighten imperceptibly as she looks between Pi Zi and Xi Ying. Ying Xiong the oblivious walks over asking Xi Ying what she wants.

Xi Ying shares the analysis of the bullets fired during the robbery. The bullets were manufactured by a company where the Chairman of the San Lian Gang is a member of the board of directors. Ying Xiong wonders why a well-trained military gang with the fire power and top-notch weapons would rob a bank yet only take away NT1.2 million.They had ten people in the gang, which means everyone ends up with only NT100K each, which is nothing. Pi Zi thinks the robbery isn’t about the cash then? But what was their true purpose? Xi Ying says if they can discover the motive, they can find the robbers. But what she worries about is the fear that there is a mole in the midst of their precinct.

Pi Zi is waiting outside looking for He Xiao Mei again. Chen Ling finds him brooding and walks over, asking if Pi Zi has to find her. He pretends again that he was just passing by. Finally he confesses that “she” is someone very important to him. Chen Ling smiles and says this is quite unlike Pi Zi.

She looks at him and asks if he’s never thought about explaining what happened with her? He doesn’t think anything happened that needs explaining. Chen Ling says fine, wishing him luck on finding the girl.

Chen Ling goes home and finds Ying Xiong waiting for her outside her apartment. She’s happy to see him but looks a little annoyed. Ying Xiong apologizes, thinking she’s annoyed at him, but Chen Ling quickly explains she just saw someone who was also waiting for a person. But that someone is a moron, not like Ying Xiong. She asks why he didn’t call first, and he reminds her that her cell phone is missing, right?

He hands her a present, which contains a cell phone. He says that in the future, he can call her first when he comes by, so he doesn’t have to wait outside for her. Suddenly Ying Xiong gets a call that they have recovered AK416 weapons at a warehouse owned by the San Lian Gang. Ying Xiong’s face falls to hear this since he’s standing right opposite the daughter of the chairman. Chen Ling asks if she can take him out to dinner to thank him for the present. Ying Xiong says yes.

The next morning, Lao Li, Pi Zi, and Ying Xiong head to the warehouse. Lao Li explains that the AK416 is so new that even the national defense department of the country hasn’t acquired any yet. They remark that the San Lian Gang is more advanced than even their country’s military network. We see Ah De the undercover cop in the San Lian Gang sitting down for a meal at a restaurant.

The three cops enter the warehouse pretending to be interested in buying smuggled liquor. Once inside, they inform the warehouse guy they want to buy AK416 rifles. The guy opens up casks filled with liquor on top and AK416 rifles underneath. The cops check out the gun, which he guarantees is new and has the serial number already filed off.

Ah De is dining when Che Jin walks in and sits down next to him. The cops are leaving the warehouse and have called in back up. They want to take all the guns back to investigate. Lao Li and Ying Xiong suddenly notice Pi Zi is not following them. They find Pi Zi walking out carrying a giant bag behind him.

Pi Zi has purchased a boatload of weapons, including the AK416. He takes out tons of snazzy weapons to show off. Ying Xiong screams at him for doing business with a triad and getting them in trouble. Pi Zi says he spent his own money, and since these guys are all going to jail soon, it’ll be fine.

Che Jin takes out a picture of Pi Zi and Ying Xiong, asking Ah De if he knows these guys. Ah De says he has heard of the guys but doesn’t know them. Che Jin asks Ah De to investigate these guys, who have been much too interested in their business recently.

Back at the warehouse, suddenly a group of men run up to the cops and immediately Ying Xiong and Lao Li take a club to the head and are rendered unconscious. The men surround Pi Zi who tries to talk his way out, but he gets a club to the head for his effort. The leader of the group orders the cops to be brought inside.

Thoughts of Mine:

I think it’s easy to dismiss the character set up of Pi Zi and Ying Xiong as being purposely opposites of each other. But they are really not. They are shades of what makes them good cops in different ways. Ying Xiong is explosive and act first-think later. Pi Zi is think about himself first always, which makes him seem cowardly but really ends up being cautious. But both are good at observing details and thinking through evidence. Too bad Ying Xiong doesn’t like Xi Ying, because they would make a great couple. He’s hot-headed but she’s cool and calm. Yet both are sensitive and shy types that would understand each other intuitively.

I’m not pushing Chen Ling towards Pi Zi just because of one hot kiss, even though it’s clear that kiss rattled Chen Ling a lot. In fact, Chen Ling and Ying Xiong continue to have sizzling chemistry, and it’s clear to anyone with half an eye and a quarter of a brain that Ying Xiong is uncontrollably smitten with her. Even knowing she’s the daughter of the top crime boss in town, who of course have plenty of “legitimate” business enterprises to allow the San Lian Gang to operate within the law even as it reaches its tentacles all around it.

We all know that Lin Ke Le’s execution was a warning to her mother, Chief Lin, not to consider backing out of whatever shady business she’s gotten herself into. I’m glad Ying Xiong noticed Chief Lin’s agitation after Ke Le’s death wasn’t all due to losing her daughter, but she seemed desperate to know if Ke Le told Pi Zi anything. What’s nice is how the story doesn’t just let plot points fall away, such as Chen Ling coming by to tell Ying Xiong that Mama An, who has late-stage cancer, passed away. Chen Ling and Ying Xiong’s concern for Mama An was an important element of turning them from foes to friends, so it was nice to have the writers not forget that. Now I just hope our cops don’t end up swimming with the fishes after pissing off the San Lian Gang at the end of this episode.