A lot was made of 19-2’s second season return last week and for good reason. The storyline—student goes on a shooting spree at his high school—and a 13-minute tracking shot were dramatic, shocking and stunning. But the strength of 19-2 has always been its characters, so I was glad to return to that for Episode 2.

Every week I watch this show with a mixture of excitement and dread. Excitement because it’s so fricking good and dread because I’m afraid something bad is going to happen to these characters I’ve fallen in love with.

“Disorder” picked up just over a week following the school shooting and things were slowly getting back to normal. J.M. was back to his scallywag ways, teasing Audrey that her scar made her look like a hot zombie cop. After such a heavy episode last Monday, I really appreciated the scenes between J.M. and Vince, the former because at his best J.M. makes for good comic relief and the latter because he scored with a young woman who was very appreciative to get her stolen purse back. The foot chase Vince had with the young purse thief, followed by him wrestling with the man in charge of the purse thefts was entertaining as heck.

Speaking of wrestling, Ben was doing that both figuratively and literally. Still reeling with the knowledge he killed a 15-year-old (shooter or not), Ben hasn’t been sleeping, can’t communicate with Catherine and is seeing the young deer again. The only person he feels like he can relate to is Nick and the SQ has got him keeping tabs on his own partner; can’t a guy catch a break? As soon as I saw Amelie helping the surviving high schoolers get over their grief I knew Ben would hook up with her again. What I can’t understand is why Ben and Catherine don’t have that same connection. Is it because Amelie is related to a cop, or because she deals with damaged folks all the time? Regardless, if seeing her helps Ben hold back from spearing and choking out cyclists I’m all for it. (That was some WWE-inspired spike Ben delivered to that cyclist, wasn’t it? Edge would be proud.)

As for Nick, we’re getting a wonderful peek into his past via cousin Kaz (Richard Chevolleau), with whom Nick has been staying. Hearing Kaz talk about he and Nick’s wild old days was one thing, but to see the two pair to steal Nick’s motorbike back was something to behold. I’m looking forward to more revelations at the apartment complex this season.

Audrey and Beatrice, paired for the time being, provided another few minutes of levity when they discovered a dentist doing work in the back of his car. After quizzing the prostitute he was examining, they learned the doc had a particular fetish that left them both scratching their heads … and likely fighting their gag reflexes.

Notes and quotes

• “Sweet scar. You’re like a hot zombie cop or something.”—J.M. to Audrey
• I’m guessing it’s hard to pull off because not many shows do it, but the dialogue on 19-2 is effortless and conversational; no one comes off like they’re acting
• “Stop resisting arrest!”—Vince, pinned under a 500-pound perp
• “Dentistry for jizz-breath in the face?”—Audrey’s suggestion at the charge she and Beatrice could lay on the backseat dentist

19-2 airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on Bravo.