TCTTS said:
So I first assumed this episode basically confirmed that the mole was McGinty. The second Brandis leaves her office she obviously makes the suspicious "We might have a problem" call, then later that night Jayson suddenly has Ray's phone, which obviously could have only come from evidence (which McGinty would have easy access to). Never mind the suspicious looks McGinty keeps giving Brandis just before the botched sting goes down.
But then the episode clearly didn't confirm the mole was McGinty yet, and someone else on task could have technically taken Ray's phone from evidence. So, given all the suspicion that was placed on McGinty this episode without resolution, my guess is McGinty is meant to be the audience fake out.
Grasso still feels too obvious (though who knows), and the only other possible clue I picked up this episode was Lizzie talking about making patches. Well, who else loves themselves some patches? Biker gangs. That still feels like a huge stretch, but it's something.
McGlinty is either a red herring, or she's working with a mole she planted on the task force, I think it's the latter. I still think the mole is Stover, specifically because last week she had the chance to take a shot at the masked intruders who were attacking the team and didn't when the Dark Hearts showed up while they were on site. I think she didn't take it specifically because she fed them the information about the house and they showed up not knowing the masked people weren't from the Dark Hearts. I just don't think Stover is working alone on this one and it would be a bigger surprise if it's not one, but two women working together behind the scenes against the task force. At this point I just don't think it's Grasso.
After rewatching Mare of Eastown recently I also think Inglesby has a lot of respect for the female characters he writes, and I think subverting the expectations of the audience is more fun for him. The number of layers at the end of MoE is what makes me think it's McGlinty and Stover. McGlinty is being forced out, which her male counterparts probably don't see as much, and she could also be trying to help Stover get a leg up for whatever she wants to do next which could mean moving to the FBI full time given how she's treated locally which we saw at the bar. It could end up being Stover by herself, but I just have a feeling it's both of them.
