That Cody Can't Take A Bad Picture Is Only One Of The Great Things About Him

One marker of a good show is that it features an assemblage of characters so strong and well-defined that the one you like best changes from episode to episode and even scene to scene. And Enlisted has had such a great first season that I've fallen deeply in love, at turns, with Perez, Pete, obviously Derrick (DREAMBOAT MUCH???), and, of course, sweet, stupid Randy. But the show's latest episode pretty much forces me to use this space to celebrate Sgt. Major Cody.

This week, Cody needs a new official portrait taken, and has already been burned by an alleged professional photographer.

Unfortunately for Derrick he (barely) took a photography class, so instead of getting to play with the Mondo Spider, the coolest piece of military equipment his squad has ever seen, he's been pressed into service as Cody's official portraitist. And Cody has a LOT of ideas.

As it happens, though, the whole thing is a ruse: Cody wants to help Derrick find a pursuit within the armed forces that he can get excited about, and since the army has newspapers, he thinks Derrick's calling may be as a photojournalist. (a) He's right; Derrick has a great time shooting his squad's terrible poo-ray attack (...trust me, you need to watch the whole episode). (b) Of course the whole thing was a ruse: this fucker can't take a bad photo!

What I love most about Cody is stuff like this: the love under the tough. It's not just good leadership that makes him want to help Derrick find fulfillment within a vocation that Derrick mostly pursued only because it's the family business; it's the seriousness with which he takes the promise he made to the Hills' late father to look after the Hill boys. For those of us (me) whose families are not part of any kind of military tradition, the show's portrayal of those meaningful ties is what gives Enlisted so much of its emotional heft.

But in addition to that, what makes Cody such a great character is that he's hilarious. We knew it from the very first episode when he punctuated a point by busting out his prosthetic leg (and complaining that there wasn't one available with a non-white skin tone). And he's not just great with the Hills: he tries to relate better to his troublesome teenaged daughter by exploiting Perez and her need to impress him to plumb her for girly intel. And he has secret depths, as we saw in the inspirational video he made to introduce his public singing début.

Since Enlisted has been pulled from Fox's schedule, this week's episode may end up being the series finale, which would be a shame because it's a funny show with a lot of heart that locked in on its characters from the very start. But if all we get is nine episode of Sgt. Major Cody, I'm glad this is the note he's going out on, and that he found his Annie Leibovitz. Even if his Annie Leibovitz was very grudging. Wherever you are, Sergeant Major, I know you're working it.