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I do love a subplot that feels very specific, and Sheriff Country has had its share of those already. But it has a really good one in Episode 8, appropriately titled “Death & Taxes”, which really enjoyably leans into the show’s very specific vibe and sense of place.

I’ve been moaning about Boston Blue’s lack of meaningful conflict. But I’m beginning to wonder if maybe the real thing that was missing was depth.

Trust DMV to radically improve just in time for the midseason finale.

It turns out Laila is still in Watson Season 2 after all, but her sudden reappearance in Episode 9 causes more problems than it fixes.

Sheriff Country has some mixed subplots in terms of quality, there’s no doubt about that, but it’s similarly inarguable that the main thrust of it is really very good.

I’ve spent most of my coverage of Boston Blue complaining about conflict – or the lack of it, as has often been the case here.

Just in case you were wondering whether DMV itself is aware of how annoying Colette is, Episode 8 has you covered.

I’m not the biggest fan of Watson, as anyone who has been reading these Season 2 recaps can probably tell, but I’m happy to admit...

When it’s firing on all cylinders, Sheriff Country is a superb procedural, as evidenced by its previous outing.

It definitely feels like Boston Blue is learning. Like the previous episode, which for the first time attempted to meaningfully challenge almost all of its characters, Episode 6, “Code of Ethics”, throws in a few new wrinkles, especially for Danny and Baez.

It would be a bit of a stretch to say that the East Hollywood DMV office has ever really felt like a team. It’s a designation that most of the employees would actively avoid in usual circumstances, but Episode 7 of the CBS sitcom, “There Is No I in DMV”, is not operating under usual circumstances.

Just in case you needed any more evidence that Watson works best as a straight-up medical drama that has nothing to do with Sherlock Holmes, look no further than “Giant Steps”, which is, by my count, the first and thus far only genuinely good episode of Season 2.

Since DMV started, I’ve complained pretty consistently about the focus on Colette and the one-note mode the character generally operates in.

It’s pretty uncontroversial to describe John Watson as a bit of a do-gooder.

People are sleeping on Sheriff Country. I’m not suggesting it’s secretly a prestige drama or anything, but as far as procedurals go, it’s really a very fine version of that oh-so-familiar format, and I think you can see it quite clearly in Episode 5, “Expecting Trouble”.

You see how much difference a bit of disagreement makes? For all its strengths as a procedural, this is the one area where Boston Blue...

If nothing else, at least DMV seems to be listening to me. I've been crying out for the sitcom to give Colette something -- anything -- different to do, and in Episode 5, "Stick Shift", it just about manages it.

I’ll be the first person to admit that Watson doesn’t need Sherlock Holmes. It works better without him, actually.