Marshals Season 2’s Biggest Problem Returns With Even More Confusion

While Marshals typically focuses on Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) and the issues he's facing in his personal and professional life, the series' most concerning storyline is only growing more confusing as things progress. Throughout the first season of Marshals, one of CBS' current Yellowstone network spinoffs, viewers got the chance to know the rest of the team of US Marshals that Kayce was working with, falling into the new team with ease as they established themselves. Kayce's team leader, Pete "Cal" Calvin (Logan Marshall-Green), was one of the most interestingly layered characters on the show, with his life changing dramatically throughout the season.

Though Cal found himself in dangerous situations all throughout Marshals season 1, things got even more complicated when he found out that he had a Pancoast tumor on his lung, which explained the persistent pain he'd been feeling in his neck and shoulder for quite some time. The diagnosis raised the stakes for Cal, whose job requires him to be incredibly physically ready at any time and to have sound judgment in order to lead his team. On top of the difficulties the diagnosis raised for Cal in his professional life, the intensity of learning about the tumor left him reeling.

Cal's cancer storyline has woven its way into Marshals season 2 slowly, but the show is attempting to embrace the fact that the team leader is dealing with something beyond his control. Still, the fact that Marshals is choosing to move ahead with Cal's health in jeopardy grows more confusing with every detail that comes out.

Cal's Cancer Diagnosis Creates Big Issues For Marshals Season 2

Cal's diagnosis was one of the most consequential developments of the end of Marshals season 1. With Belle (Arielle Kebbel) learning about Cal's cancer during Marshals season 1 episode 12, viewers have been aware of the diagnosis since the end of the season, but with things progressing slowly as the current season has begun, there's been a lot of confusion surrounding what's next. Cal is still in a leadership position, and with him revealing his diagnosis to the team at the end of Marshals season 2 episode 2, it's clear that his disease isn't going away without some serious struggle.

Having outlined his prognosis and the plan his doctors have in place to move forward, Cal made it clear that he's not going anywhere, but there are still a lot of moving parts involved in getting him healthy. Cal's treatment plan involves a surgery, then chemo and radiation at a later time, but he seemed clear that he wasn't going to be shying away from continuing his work with the team. Leading an elite team of Marshals doesn't mesh well with dealing with the level of treatment Cal will be undergoing, and his disease doesn't seem to have time for him to wait it out.

With so much responsibility on his plate and the clock ticking on his treatment, Cal's insistence on working doesn't feel like the best way for him to navigate as he moves forward.

Marshals Is Choosing To Navigate Far Too Many Diverging Plots

While Cal's cancer is a huge part of his story on Marshals, it's only one of the larger plots that the series is tackling this season so far. Marshals season 2 has been straddling the line between being a traditional drama and a procedural, and this storyline is indicative of the issues that the show's been having. Cal's cancer storyline is something that would be seen on more of a traditional drama, but the execution of the story is happening in a way that feels more procedural at its core. CBS' Yellowstone spinoff is juggling too much, and at the same time, it doesn't have a specific direction.

Cal's cancer storyline brings a larger sense of tension into focus for the series, but it doesn't push any narrative forward if he continues to work on the team and doesn't see any issues with his health vs. his job. Cal taking a step back from the team would create a more compelling storyline overall, and would allow the rest of the team have to jump in to make leadership decisions. While Cal may still be on the show as he continues his treatment, Marshals should be treating his story differently, potentially even dealing with it off screen.