Ogi Jun

Lore & Background

In the episode, detectives Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder follow men from the Larsen garage to a Polish restaurant owned by Janek Kovarsky, suspecting Stan Larsen's involvement with the Polish mob. They consult FBI organized crime specialist Corey Petersen, who reveals that Stan was suspected of killing a man named Piotr Michaelski to leave the mob. Petersen shows a photo of Piotr's body in a car trunk, hands bound, shot in the head, and notes he had a wife.

Stan Larsen learns that Belko Royce's body has been taken from the morgue by a funeral home; he finds Janek Kovarsky at Belko's coffin in a church. Janek calls Belko the better man and tells Stan about school bullies teasing his son Tommy about Rosie. At school, Stan tells Tommy to fight back. Detectives question Piotr's widow, Monica Krol, who says police should have arrested Stan 17 years ago. Sterling Fitch tells them the tattoo belongs to a man who used to hang around the Larsen house and creeped Rosie out.

In a juvenile prison, the detectives bribe inmate Benissimo Lee with a candy bar; he says he gave the Ogi Jun tattoo to a foster kid named "Giffs." Holder identifies Giffs as Alexi Giffords, a foster child whose current address is three blocks from the Larsens. Sarah visits Regi Darnell to request Alexi's foster file. Stan finds frayed wiring in his van and confronts Janek, who admits to burning down Beau Soleil. A young man with an Ogi Jun tattoo arrives at the house Holder is monitoring; Holder realizes the man is Alexi, who escapes. A case worker reveals Alexi's birth name is Michaelski and his mother is Monica Krol. Sarah finds a drawing of Rosie with her face scratched out inside an Ogi Jun manga comic.

Reader's Guide

"Ogi Jun" received mixed reviews. Brandon Nowalk of The A.V. Club rated it a C, criticizing the show's straddling between crime pulp and prestige drama, calling it shallow melodrama. Paste magazine's Adam Vitcavage gave a 7.3 rating, noting the show appeared to be grasping at straws. William Bibbiani of CraveOnline called it a "refreshing change of pace" but with few highlights. TV Fanatic's Sean McKenna rated it 4 out of 5 stars, praising the atmosphere while hoping for a satisfying payoff. The episode was watched by 1.65 million viewers with a 0.6 adults 18-49 rating, marking the series' third-lowest ratings. The episode is significant for revealing the tattoo bearer's identity and deepening the mob subplot, though critical reception was divided on its narrative effectiveness.

Did You Know?

• The episode was watched by 1.65 million viewers, the series' third-lowest ratings.
• The Ogi Jun tattoo was given to a foster kid named Alexi Giffords by inmate Benissimo Lee.
• Alexi Giffords' birth name is Michaelski and his mother is Monica Krol, widow of Piotr Michaelski.
• Stan Larsen confronts Janek Kovarsky about frayed wiring in his van, and Janek admits to burning down Beau Soleil.