EPISODE OF THE WEEK: SMOTHERED

[Patcat]

Will air July 31, 2007, at 7pm EST on the USA Cable Network

The Third show of the First Season. First aired October 14, 2001.

Directed by Michael Fields
Written by Marlane Gomard Meyer and Rene Balcer

Guest Actors: Kathleen Chalfant (Priscilla Vac Acker), Geoffrey Nauffts (Dale Van Acker), Will Lyman (Roger Jameson), Susan Misner (Becky), Funda Duyal (Lois Romney)

Repeat Offender(s): Kathleen Chalfant later appeared in BOMBSHELL. Ms. Chalfant is a highly respected stage actress in New York. Geoffrey Nauffts has appeared on SVU.

Quotes:

Alex (responding to news about a charity for horses ): "Let me guess. They find homes for retired polo ponies."

Bobby (examining a body): "Fish scale."
Alex: "Great, she was attacked by a shark."
Bobby: "Sharks don't have scales."
Alex rolls eyes.

Bobby (observing the homeless people living underground): "You ever wonder what it's like, living there?"
Alex: "With the price of one bedrooms, I've considered it."

Somewhat to my surprise, I discovered that this solid first season offering didn't have a thread (or at least I couldn't find it). An underestimated episode?

This is an early episode. How well are the conventions of LOCI established and represented in this episode? What, for example, is the state of the Eames and Goren relationship?

Priscilla Van Acker is something of a monster. Is she responsible for Dale's drug habit? Any comments about her relationship with Dale? Or with her second husband, Roger Jameson? How about the fact she doesn't use Jameson's last name?

Would Lois and the baby have saved Dale? Will Dale survive this betrayal by his mother?


A few comments, ones that I hope others will respond to:

This episode has several things I like a great deal. The story allows us to see Goren and Eames moving through and dealing with people from a variety of backgrounds, from the bartender to Becky up to Priscilla Van Acker, moves that the detectives make with ease and grace. Goren demonstrates both his considerable knowledge and skills, while also showing his compassion for the victim. There are several humorous exchanges between Goren and Eames. One of my favorite elements of LOCI is when a criminal underestimates Goren and Eames. Roger Jameson's attempt to intimidate Goren backfires completely. Vincent D'Onofrio's reaction--which suggests that Goren has experienced things Jameson wouldn't dream of in his worst nightmare--is a splendid example of this. Finally, there's Goren running--loping gracefully, really--and dressed in a black leather jacket and jeans, if you like that sort of thing (g).

Patcat

[effie]

OOOO -- good one Pat! The image of that poor girl stuffed into the box springs under that mattress has stuck with me for a long time as super creepy.

And, I've always thought it interesting that there's so little discussion of Goren's "buddy" the forger...

[DonnaJo]

Patcat, Goren's "loping" as you so aptly put it, is something I never get tired of watching. I know we have a discussion of how he runs on a thread here somewhere...LOL.

On a serious note, Smothered is a episode full of bad people and "poor souls" as Sister Phylis calls them (a Catholic nun I work with.) What strikes me as so unique & special, is the empathy, compassion & sadness conveyed by both Goren & Eames for Lois, the pregnant murder victim. However, how accurate is it to see two very seasoned cops act in such a manner, even before they know about the victim's situation & pregnancy?

This is an early episode. How well are the conventions of LOCI established and represented in this episode? What, for example, is the state of the Eames and Goren relationship?

They are deep in the "getting to know you" stage of their partnership, with Goren seemingly clueless as to Eames' snark about fish scales. Yet they still work together well enough to trap Mrs. Van Acker.

Priscilla Van Acker is something of a monster. Is she responsible for Dale's drug habit? Any comments about her relationship with Dale? Or with her second husband, Roger Jameson? How about the fact she doesn't use Jameson's last name?

Poor Dale. With a mother like that, it's no wonder he tried to escape from her in a world of drugs & losers. He is also a weak, ineffectual man, dominated all of his life by his mother. I remember when Mrs. Van Acker deliberately leaves her son in jail, even though she could have easily have bailed him out. Eames questions her decision,and her smug answer is, "When you have children, you'll see that being a mother isn't only about kissing their boo boo's." YIKES.

Would Lois and the baby have saved Dale? Will Dale survive this betrayal by his mother?

You can see in the initial scene that already Lois' goodness was having a positive effect on Dale. In due time, I think Lois & the baby would have given Dale something to be strong for. Especially so when the baby was born. How horrible a woman Mrs. Van Acker was, to order the murder of her own grandchild in order to keep control over her son.

A "telling" scene about Goren's own situation with his mother is when Roger Jameson is explaining Priscilla's hold over Dale, & how as much as Dale despises his mother, he can't let go of her. (That isn't an accurate quote). Goren's expression during that exchange is one of deep introspection & perhaps even pain.

[Patcat]

I'd like to apologize for not posting a synopsis of this episode. I blame staying up late to finish HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS (g).

I don't think Goren and Eames overreact to Lois' death. Her murder was horrible, and it's clear that she fought for her life and the life of her child. The detectives' know that at the time of her death she was clean, fighting to stay off drugs and trying to do the best thing for her baby.

One of the many things I like about Goren and Eames is that they've not become jaundiced by their work and the things they've seen. They've retained their humanity, but they're not bowls of jello.

Patcat

[meggyd]

I really liked this episode. I caught on to the series in season two, so I saw season one after season two concluded. With that perspective, I was really impressed with this early episode. I thought the plot was really clever, and it took me quite a while to work out the who and how of Lois' murder.

The interaction between Goren and Eames was really good in this episode. Unlike some, I assumed that One was, if not the first case they'd worked together, at least one of the first. Smothered seemed to support this theory, as they seemed to be getting to know each other as we got to know them. In particular, while they were staking out the sewers their interaction was revealing. Bobby focused on the more theoretical and imaginative "Have you ever thought what it must be like living down there" and Eames more practical "With what one bedrooms are going for, I've considered it".

Bobby's quirks were beginning to be established in contrast with the formality of the other characters. I particularly remember him tipping back on the chair while considering how to manipulate Jameson (the school teacher in me wanted to tell him to sit on the chair properly before he tipped over and hurt himself). Lots of fidgeting, quiet thought and hand movements representing his thinking and planning. I do remember his running style as being very odd, though, I didn't see it as a lope but as an extremely awkward running action. VDO doesn't run like that with the exaggerated knee lift in movies such as Thumbsucker or Championship Season. I also remember my mother, who caught the episode, calling me to ask me quite seriously whether VDO had Multiple Sclorosis or another motor control disease that would make him run in such a manner. Seriously loved the black jacket and jeans though.

The only thing that annoyed me in the episode was the "Australian" in the bar. None of the so called Australians on the show ever have anything approaching a natural Australian accent though he was the closest - don't get me started on Nicole Wallace, whose accent is 100% British without a single Australian inflection anywhere.

They established Lois as a character who really deserved our sympathy, the innocent pawn in the game. They even managed to raise a little sympathy in us at the end for Jameson, who really was a jerk, but who had been thoroughly tricked as well. Mrs Van Acker seemed such a smug, manipulative person who believed she could do anything she wanted because of her family name and her money - like most CI villains, it was a real pleasure to see Bobby unravel her and justice be served.

[musicwench]

This is an early episode. How well are the conventions of LOCI established and represented in this episode? What, for example, is the state of the Eames and Goren relationship?

They're getting along all right but still getting to know each other. Goren not getting Eames' remark about sharks for one. Eames and her smart mouth do get Goren laughing during the stake out in the park and oh yes I did enjoy watching a leather clad Goren running. LOL

Priscilla Van Acker is something of a monster. Is she responsible for Dale's drug habit? Any comments about her relationship with Dale? Or with her second husband, Roger Jameson? How about the fact she doesn't use Jameson's last name?

I don't think she's responsible for starting his drug habit but she certainly used it to her advantage. She seems very cold-hearted and self-centered and apparently she uses everyone in her life. I'm not sure she actually loves anyone but herself.


Would Lois and the baby have saved Dale? Will Dale survive this betrayal by his mother?

Babies don't save marriages and I'd say it would have been a 50/50 chance that it would have saved Dale. I'd say getting away from his mother would have been the best thing for him and that combined with the baby would have perhaps saved him.

Personally I believe not having his manipulative mother around would be better for Dale and his survival in general.


Overall a very solid episode, which I enjoyed. I believe I was still lukewarm over the Goren character at this point. It wasn't until The Faithful that I really started liking him. I loved Eames and was upset from this early point that she didn't have a larger role to play.

[Patcat]

I thought the bartender was Irish, not Australian--it was the bartender, you were referring to?
There's a lot more Irish people in New York City than Australians and a lot of them work as waiters, bartenders, etc.

Patcat

[Techguy]

This episode is one of my favorites from early in the series. I viewed it out of order since I my first encounter with CI was in Season 2. Nevertheless, it demonstrates what CI does best and that's to portray a truly loathsome villain and how Goren brings him/her down.

This is an early episode. How well are the conventions of LOCI established and represented in this episode? What, for example, is the state of the Eames and Goren relationship?

I agree that at the time of this episode, Goren and Eames are still developing their "reads" of each other and how each would respond in certain situations and how to react without the need for words to pass between them. I also believe scenes like the shark/fish scales might have amused Eames ititially but, given what we know from "In the Wee Small Hours" it might have eventually begun to irritate Eames enough to provoke her to write the letter asking for a new partner.

Priscilla Van Acker is something of a monster. Is she responsible for Dale's drug habit? Any comments about her relationship with Dale? Or with her second husband, Roger Jameson? How about the fact she doesn't use Jameson's last name?

I don't think Priscilla Van Acker is directly responsible for Dale starting to use drugs. No matter what the provocation, the choice to do drugs was his and his alone but, being a very weak individual, having a mother like her preying on his weakness in order to control him must have played a role in Dale's continued use of drugs and eventual dependency. Priscilla Van Acker is the type of person who thrives on the weaknesses of others, her son included. A happy, well-adjusted successful son would have turned his back on her long ago. Priscilla Van Acker needs others to be weak and dependent in order to exert and maintain control over them, and she has Dale and second husband Roger Jameson as the two prime examples of victimhood. Keeping her first husband's name instead of taking Jameson's is her overt way to demonstrate to Jameson who's really in control in their marriage.

Would Lois and the baby have saved Dale? Will Dale survive this betrayal by his mother?

I have mixed feelings about Dale's chances, it could go either way with him. With Lois and the baby he had motivation to get and stay clean, but with them gone...? As harsh and cold as this sounds, perhaps the realization of what his mother had done to them will provoke Dale to hate his mother so much he'll be more determined to survive just to spite her.

[deathroe]

Goren not getting Eames' remark about sharks for one.

Oh! That is a classic girl-guy thing. Girl makes sarcastic remark, guy takes her literally. But I may be projecting *s* ...

[meggyd]

No, the bartender in the bar where people go from the fishmarket after work was definitely "Australian". The "Geez, mate" really gives it away, as well as the rest of the flattened and extended vowel sounds. Irish accents, even pretend ones, are generally far more musical and the vowels are shorter. A lot of Irish people visit and work in and migrate to Australia too.

In rewatching the episode to check, I was again struck by the calculation of Mrs Van Acker. When confronted with the photographs of her stolen silver, the act she put on about recognising Lois and being shocked at her death is really chilling when you know what she did and thought she'd get away with.

Dale certainly wasn't worth Lois' trust. The forgeting the name of the hotel part, where he went and got high instead, shows the calibre of the man she put her faith in.

[prodigaltwit]

Dude, this ep rocks

[madger]

Another 3 time repeat offender is Susan Misner (Becky) who was also in Acts of Contrition as Sister Olivia/Angie DelMarco and another episode, I can't think of the title, The one where Eames says she wore a certain skirt and looked good in it too. Anyway she was the ex-wife of a loser who she rolls for his new found money.

My favorite quote by Eames: "Stakeout is my strong suit", I like this one because it makes Goren laugh, a real chuckle, not just his usual little smile.

Mom VanAcker, yikes, what a nightmare. She makes sure her little boy stays on drugs by giving him money in jail so he'll stay dependent on her.

[DonnaJo]

Susan Misner has been getting a lot of work lately. I just saw her last evening in the miniseries "The Bronx Is Burning" and in the series "Rescue Me." Glad to see she's gainfully employed.

Side Note: My avatar is from a scene in "Smothered." Goren in his black tee shirt & jeans, interrogating Dale. The best casual look he's ever had, IMO

[effie]

One of the things I was thinking about as I was watching this is what this episode may or may not tell us about how Goren was in Narcotics. When he and Eames are interrogating Dale and Dale admits to forgetting the name of the hotel and going off to get high -- I dunno there was just something about Goren's attitude that seemed like he'd had this discussion with many a perp. Maybe too many times.

[Patcat]

Thanks for catching Susan Misner as a repeat offender--and obviously a very good one.

As I wrote, Kathleen Chalfant, who plays Priscilla Van Acker, is a stalwart of the New York stage, appearing in everything from Edward Albee to Shakespeare. The LAW AND ORDER shows have financed some wonderful work.

Effie--a great point about Goren's interrogation of Dale. I thought that was a very well written and acted scene, and it was the moment I was certain Dale wasn't involved in Lois' death.

Does anyone think Dale realized his mother had anything to do with Lois' death before Goren revealed it to him?

Patcat