EPISODE OF THE WEEK: CHERRY RED

[Techguy]

This is indeed a classic CI episode which I enjoy and appreciate more each time I view it. It represents what CI is supposed to be about and what it does best--it gets down and deep into the dark motives of complex and interesting villains (the criminal's intent) while unraveling the whys of what was done and revealing last minute surprises in stunning memorable arias. In "Cherry Red" we also are treated to personal details like Goren's friend Lewis and former girlfriend Lola without any melodrama. Oh to be able to turn back the hands of time on the clock of CI's seasons...

The contrast between the two most obvious parent/child relationships in "Cherry Red" is very striking in their differences. Kate planned to use whatever inheritance she received from the deceased old woman to afford a more private room for her cancer-ridden mother in hospice. Roger, on the other hand, planned to use his ill-gotten gains stolen from the old woman he murdered and other clients to escape the clutches of his grasping and needy father. Given what we learned about Goren and how he handled his responsibilities for his own mother, the resonance of how parents and their adult children relate to one another is all the more striking. And also given what we now know will come down between Goren and his mother in the future, the exchange between him and Carver about ruined lives "only if we let them" summarizes in a few words what Goren's character is all about.

As villains go, it's a toss-up between Roger and Stan as to which is worse. Both the son and the father commit murder for purely selfish reasons--Roger to escape his responsibility for his father's care and Stan to cover for his son so as to continue leeching off him. Again the resonance and contrast to how Goren has handled his own responsibilities is quite apparent.

The process of how Goren goes about finding clues and making deductions in "Cherry Red" is a joy to watch. I've said this before elsewhere, but the "deflowering" of the cherry red Ferrari has to be one of the absolute best CI scenes ever. In addition to missing the complex crime stories, Goren's deductions, and the arias, I also miss the humor of scenes like the one where Goren upstages Roger to take control of the situation and the Ferrari. How I miss these good old days of CI's heyday.

[madger]

One of my all time favorite exchanges:
Goren: "You have no idea"
Roger: "You son of a B***h"
Goren: "You have no idea"
And when Goren teases Roger with the smell of the leather on his hands, I almost felt sorry for him.

[ragincajun]

He teases him with the smell of leather on his hands, but when he was in the car he wore gloves so the smell of the cars leather wouldn't be on his hands, meany Goren, lol.

[Patcat]

I suspect Goren has set specific boundaries in his relationship with his mother--he's probably set those boundaries in many parts of his life--out of a need to survive. This episode offers, at least for me, some evidence of those boundaries. There are no boundaries between Roger and Stan, with the son unwilling to enforce them and the father certainly not wanting them. Kate's mother, in contrast to Stan, doesn't want to encroach on her daughter's life and respects her daughter's right to have a life. This is one of the reasons why I think Kate willingly and gracefully accepts caring for her mother--it's not a terrible burden because her mother doesn't make it one. Goren has to establish boundaries in his relationship with his mother because I suspect she'd cross them in a heartbeat.

I suspect one of the forces contributing to the tragic mess of Goren's life in the most recent episodes was the destruction of all of those carefully constructed boundaries in his life.

Patcat

[DonnaJo]

Great catch, Patcat, about how Goren's defenses against mom's relentless encroachment on his emotions has been breached by her cancer & the constant need to be there for her. The "phone call every day & visit once a week" scenario was long gone.

Unlike many of you, Cherry Red is OK, but not an all time favorite. I prefer the darker Goren myself. I do love the scene with Kate's mom in the hospice, so unselfish & such a trooper about her pain & suffering - a sharp contrast to the other two mother's in question, as you all have mentioned.

I guess I found the whole concept of how the son placated his feelings of loss & anger by being a multiple murderer so he could buy classic cars ridiculous & very over the top, even for CI. And even if Goren hadn't been wearing gloves (good catch, ragin) the idea that such a smell would still be on his hands is silly.

Best Carver scene is definitely the lawyer's ignorance about the term "Gordian Knot." An example of the funny moments Techguy mentions that are sorely lacking the past few seasons.

[Patcat]

I may have missed something (not uncommon with me), but was Roger a multiple murderer? I thought he only killed one person.

Patcat

[Leticia]

He did only kill one person. That's why I found his actions believable. At first he would have told himself it was a victimless crime, and it was. But then he escalated. He didn't kill people for any old vintage cars. He robbed graves for vintage cars, and only killed for the car that represented the very pinnacle of his obsession and the moment he realised his father didn't care about him.

[DonnaJo]

patcat said:

I may have missed something (not uncommon with me), but was Roger a multiple murderer? I thought he only killed one person.

Patcat

I was under the impression that he had done this a few times in order to get the old people's inheritances. I could be wrong, though.

[ragincajun]

She was the only one he murdered, the other ones died of natural causes. The others also didn't have wills. This lady did. He deleted her will and killed her to get this one car. It was rare and guess it had become available and needed the money now and couldn't wait.

[diablodeblanco]

I believe the only victim was an elderly woman who died when Roger used his father's urine to commit the crime. The other estates Roger robbed were from people who had died naturally with no will. I don't believe they had any family either so any estate would then be, I think, taken by the state for its use. Perhaps Roger justified it by thinking he wasn't doing anything different than what the state was doing. When the Ferrari became available that's when Roger needed really big bucks. Selling his collection of old cars wasn't enough. He needed the kind of money his murder victim had.

[diablodeblanco]

Ooops need to clarify.....the only victim that was murdered by Roger. His elderly father killed the young woman who befriended the murder victim to keep her from exposing Roger's little estate stealing scheme.