Question E

[Jonetta]

Kim sees that her team has gotten “rusty” in her absence. Stacey was marginalized, Penn underutilized and Bryant not listened to by Burns. Was there anything they could have done to better their circumstances in her absence? How do you think they felt upon Kim’s return where she initially was hands off?

[Sharon]

It was discouraging for them individually and as a team. They held on, putting up with a lot of crap, anticipating her return and operations returning to normal. It was apparent immediately Kim was not herself. When they saw Kim's behavior, they knew her recovery wasn't progressing quickly. Now there wasn't any way for them to put an end date on a return to normal.

Burns will never be a leader who solves crimes. They didn't know if they could put up with him much longer. It was especially hard for Stacey as she counted the days until Kim returned them to a productive group.

It was sad that Burns didn't appreciate the staff. They are a well-oiled-machine with great instincts. If he was the least bit intelligent and not self-centered, he could be a success just letting Bryant, Penn, and Stacey do their jobs.

I wonder if Kim would have stayed if Burns was a successful replacement. I sensed that she wanted to give up.

[Jonetta]

My heart broke for all of them when Kim walked in with barely an acknowledgment and then was hands off. You can imagine they put up with the indignity of someone like Burns solely on the hope that it had an end date and were counting the days. I felt their hopes deflate in that moment, especially after I got a whiff of how Burns operated.

Burns is selfish and a narcissist with no discernible leadership or investigative abilities. There was nothing Bryant, Penn or Stacey could have done to make this work.

[Lynn]

Penn told Stacey that he tried to help her as much as he could under Burns's leadership, but we are meant to hate Burns, so he was portrayed perfectly for that purpose. Also, once again, I think his purpose was to give Kim a reason to get back quickly.