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Post by Patcat on Mar 10, 2008 9:10:55 GMT -5
It.s back! (Be afraid, be very afraid!)
Will air March 12, 2008, at 11pm (EST), and March 13, 2008, at 6pm (EST) on the USA Cable Network
Episode #46. First aired September 28, 2008. First episode of Season Three.
Written by Stephanie Sengupta and Rene Balcer
Directed by Steven Shill
Guest Stars: Michael Hogan as Noah Preston; Olek Krupa as Ben Laurette
Synopsis: The murder of a promising young architect leads Eames and Goren to a famous architect with a messy personal life.
Ripped from the headlines: Ben Laurette may be based on architect Louis Kahn who juggled three families and his work. Kahn's son Nathaniel directed the Academy Award nominated documentary MY ARCHITECT: A SON'S JOURNEY (2003) about his family.
Quotes:
Eames (about Laurette): "For a guy who likes chaos, he's about to get it in spades."
Goren: "Well, buildings may crumble, but infamies are forever."
Eames (to Goren while they investigate Noah): "Library card. Man after your own heart."
Eames (about Noah): "If he wanted to get inside Laurette's head, he needed more blondes in his life."
Eames: "Well, I told him."
Goren: "What'd he say?"
Eames: "He gave me a big hug. He said it was a great thing I was doing for my sister and he said when the time comes he'll hook you up with a temporary partner."
Goren: "Oh, no! I didn't even think of that. What'd you say?"
Eames: "I pity the fool."
Deakins: "What about our gal, uh? Surrogate mom."
Who's the real villain of this story?
As I watched this episode, I kept thinking, where does Ben Laurette find the time?
Are the women in Laurette's life completely clueless?
Is Noah innocent? Did he have any malevolent intentions in his following (you might say stalking) of Laurette?
Does Noah's "father" know the young man isn't his biological son?
Why doesn't Noah want to get his architect's license?
Ben Laurette has had nothing to do with Noah. Yet, when he discovers who the young man is, Laurette's comment that he knew what Noah was indicates to me that the older man thought he was somehow responsible for what Noah was. Comments?
This is one of the first mentions of 9/11 in LOCI. How is that tragedy handled? How has the show handled that event?
This is the episode where viewers learn Eames is going to be a surrogate mother for her sister and brother-in-law. This plot line was created to explain Kathryn Erbe's pregnancy. Shows have handled a star's pregnancy in different ways. How does this plot line work?
It appears Bobby may be the first person to learn of Eames' decision outside her family. Should he be so surprised to learn he'll have a temporary partner?
Isn't Eames in a dangerous profession to be a surrogate mom? Why did her sister pick her?
What about Deakins' reaction to the news?
Comments: I was surprised to discover very little discussion about this episode, which I think is a solid outing. There are many small moments that are enjoyable: Goren waving the model building around in Laurette's office; Eames and Goren huddled in the back of the SVU while they explore Laurette's tangled family ties; the detectives' investigation of Noah's apartment. It occurs to me that this is a wonderfully visual episode, which makes perfect sense considering both Noah and Laurette are visual artists.
And there's the revelation of Eames' pregnancy, which resulted in two of my favorite LOCI moments. Jamey Sheridan is wonderful in showing Deakins' unabashed delight in and admiration for Eames. I don't think the Captain could be much happier if one of his daughters told him he was about to become a grandfather. And there's the terrific stumble and doubletake Vincent D'Onofrio does when Goren realizes he's going to lose Eames for a temporary partner.
Discuss, Debate, Digress!
Patcat
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Post by Techguy on Mar 10, 2008 22:25:43 GMT -5
Who's the real villain of this story? As I watched this episode, I kept thinking, where does Ben Laurette find the time? Are the women in Laurette's life completely clueless? Is Noah innocent? Did he have any malevolent intentions in his following (you might say stalking) of Laurette? Does Noah's "father" know the young man isn't his biological son? Why doesn't Noah want to get his architect's license? Ben Laurette has had nothing to do with Noah. Yet, when he discovers who the young man is, Laurette's comment that he knew what Noah was indicates to me that the older man thought he was somehow responsible for what Noah was. Comments? This is one of the first mentions of 9/11 in LOCI. How is that tragedy handled? How has the show handled that event? This is the episode where viewers learn Eames is going to be a surrogate mother for her sister and brother-in-law. This plot line was created to explain Kathryn Erbe's pregnancy. Shows have handled a star's pregnancy in different ways. How does this plot line work? It appears Bobby may be the first person to learn of Eames' decision outside her family. Should he be so surprised to learn he'll have a temporary partner? Isn't Eames in a dangerous profession to be a surrogate mom? Why did her sister pick her? What about Deakins' reaction to the news? |
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noc
Silver Shield Investigator
Posts: 127
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Post by noc on Mar 10, 2008 23:02:36 GMT -5
Who's the real villain of this story?[/quote]? I agree with Techguy. I think both Ben Laurette and Meredith were so interested in documenting Laurette's legacy & power that they barely even considered Noah's fate (for different reasons) other than how it related to each of them.
In terms of the cheating, I got the impression wife #1 didn't care. There are marriages like that. Laurette also seemed to alternate between busy, smart women and bimbos. Both types may be too focused to notice the suspicious trips. Laurette was the type of man who says "you are crazy" every time a woman acts jealous and it was easy for him to cheat with the travel.
In terms of Noah's ulterior motives, he seemed like your typical young man - trying to figure out where he and his gifts fit into the world. The writers portrayed a sense of excitement (and some desperation to win it, but not in a harmful way) about the WTC project and Laurette as a biological link/father.
Based on the content and tone of the letter Det. Goren found in Noah's apartment, I don't think Noah's stepfather was aware he wasn't Noah's biological father. Good point
I don't think Noah wanted to achieve success and fame under his stepfather's name of Preston. I think Noah wanted to make a name for himself as Laurette's son, and winning the WTC competition was his avenue to achieve that goal. I think that's why Noah went to Laurette's home, to tell Laurette his plans for the WTC competition by paying homage to Laurette's style. I think once Noah won the competition, he would have revealed himself as Laurette's son, and then applied for his license as Noah Laurette. Interesting. I missed the potential name change but it makes sense.
I think Laurette's reaction to finding out Noah's identity and that Meredith was responsible reveals an even uglier side of Laurette. Laurette had been very dismissive of Noah, but when the biological connection is revealed, Laurette suddenly acts like the victim for what he lost. Even more reprehensible is Laurette's disgusting attitude toward his and Meredith's unborn child--"THAT! I don't know what THAT is!" It's clear to me Laurette regarded Noah as his (Laurette's) potential new pathway to greater fame and recognition that was taken away from him, whereas the unborn child has yet to achieve anything noteworthy that could provide reflected glory on Laurette. Yes, Noah was more of a "sure thing" than Meredith's unborn child (with unknown talents). Noah's works would also occur in his lifetime, and he may be less certain of that with the unborn child (although I think the unknown talent was more of an issue).
I think the plot element of the WTC memorial competition acknowledged and recognized the need to commemorate the 9/11 tragedy, and do not see any exploitation of the event. Det. Goren says something significant--I can't remember the exact quote--about how the winning design will be an extraordinary way to memorialize an unspeakable tragedy. It's respectful and does justice to what 9/11 meant to NYC.
Agreed.
I would have preferred that they find a love interest for Eames and that explained the pregnancy, but probably no time. The surrogate was somewhat realistic in this day and age with all the scams.
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Post by Patcat on Mar 11, 2008 15:15:44 GMT -5
I find myself haunted by Noah, an apparently gifted young man (I'm afraid I have little appreciation for modern art or architecture and found Noah's design to be a bunch of black scribbles) who was searching for himself. I wonder if he had any idea how dangerous Meredith was when she sat in his car. And just how much of a threat was Noah to Meredith?
Patcat
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noc
Silver Shield Investigator
Posts: 127
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Post by noc on Mar 11, 2008 17:27:34 GMT -5
Patcat, I agree with you about Noah. I didn't see any ulterior motive other than the ambition to make his place in the world that we all have as young adults. My guess is he thought Meredith was supportive of him and didn't see it coming from behind him (since she got him from the back seat of the car).
It was also haunting that his death was related to his reaching out to a biological parent that didn't really deserve him. Noah would have just represented an extension of Laurette's legacy, and probably there would have been extreme competitiveness to say that Noah was good due to Laurette's "genes" but not as good. I'm really stretching here, but it isn't it a common theme in Joseph Campbell's mythology to go find out who one is as a young adult and then move forward to create one's own destiny/mythology. Noah never got that chance.
The common father/son relationship struggles as portrayed in CI are very thought-provoking. I know this has been talked about before, and probably related to this episode, so sorry if I'm repeating.
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Post by Patcat on Mar 12, 2008 8:41:03 GMT -5
Father/son relationships (or the lack thereof) are a theme in Warren Leight's work outside of LOCI. I must confess I don't know enough about Rene Balcer's work outside of LOCI to make a judgment on whether it's an important theme to the rest of his work. Heck, it may just make good drama, but there aren't a lot of healthy father/son relationships in LOCI.
Patcat
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Post by Summerfield on Mar 12, 2008 21:17:57 GMT -5
It seems there are few healthy relationships on LOCI.
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Post by random on Mar 13, 2008 0:09:09 GMT -5
One of the things I like most about CI is this technique of having Goren and Eames mirror, and yet contrast with, the dysfunctional characters. I know this has been mentioned on this board before. They usually do this with Goren (his loneliness juxtaposed with Tagman's in "Want", his isolation due to his intellect and inadequate father contrasted with the aptly named Robby in "Bright Boy", or his doppelganger, Jo Gage, who went the other way)
What I liked most about this episode was the fact that they finally made Eames the parallel/contrast for the criminal. They are both single, pregnant women who are rather good at solving mysteries. Where Eames brings criminals to justice, Meredith uses her skill to learn Laurette's secret, and then to stop Noah, whatever it takes. Eames' pregnancy is even portrayed as selfless, providing a high contrast with Meredith's, which seems to be yet another way for Meredith to cling to or manipulate Laurette.
Does anyone know much about the work of Louis Kahn, on whom this was based? He was an architect who had several families that didn't all know about each other. He also died in Penn Station. His son made a movie about getting to know his fathers' other families. I don't know much about Louis Kahn as an architect, though, nor whether his character was anything like Laurette.
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Post by Patcat on Mar 13, 2008 8:43:07 GMT -5
Random; What a good point about the contrast between Eames' pregnancy and Meredith's. I sensed there was some point there, but couldn't figure it out. Your point and expression of it is terrific.
Patcat
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effie
Detective
off chasing plot bunnies...
Posts: 264
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Post by effie on Mar 13, 2008 11:30:38 GMT -5
One thing I've always really like about this episode is when Goren is looking through the scrapbook and finally puts together the picture of Noah's Mom with the one they'd seen earlier in his apartment... he simply turns the picture around to show Eames without pointing out the specifics. He KNOWS she will figure out what he just did... that Laurette is Noah's Dad. It's tiny but there is a mark of respect inherent in it that I really like.
Goren and Eames do seem to be at their fluid best in terms of smoothly working together... which is ironic since Eames' subsequent departure will blow that ease all to heck when she comes back it's all awkwardness for a while... and frankly I'm not sure they ever fully recovered what with the rockyness of season four, the letter in season five and the kidnapping in Season six...
Also, as much as we like Goren doing the concerned friend bit, and Deakins acting like a happy Granpa... shouldn't Deakins have noticed the pregnancy before this point? ;0)
And... there's a small wardrobe malfunction here... the scenes inside Penn Station and the one outside at Noah's car... are concurrent, and yet G&E are in different outfits. Minor, but interesting to watch for!
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Post by Cassie on Mar 14, 2008 12:37:41 GMT -5
I feel this story is based on Louis Kahn, an architecture who died of natural causes at Penn Station, but had 3 wives, and a son named Nathaniel en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_KahnKahn had three different families with three different women: his wife, Esther who he married in 1930; Anne Tyng, who began her working collaboration and personal relationship with Kahn in 1945; and Harriet Pattison. His obituary in the New York Times, written by Paul Goldberger, famously mentions only Esther and his daughter by her as survivors. But in 2003, Kahn's son with Pattison, Nathaniel Kahn, released an Oscar-nominated biographical documentary about his father, titled My Architect: A Son's Journey, which gives glimpses of the architecture while focusing on talking to the people who knew him: family, friends, and colleagues www.philadelphiaweekly.com/view.php?id=6427My Architect: A Son's Journey Directed by Nathaniel Kahn B Reviewed by Matt Prigge Opens Fri., Nov. 14 One critic has already compared the doc My Architect to Citizen Kane, and at least, conceptually speaking, that comparison's not wildly off-base. Like Kane, Architect is an exorcism attended entirely by people an infamously reclusive man left behind. That man is Louis I. Kahn, the renowned late architect who constructed the Capitol of Bangladesh at Dhaka, attempted to redesign his home base of Philadelphia and who fathered two illegitimate children, one of whom happened to make this film. (For a feature on the filmmaker, see p. 36.) Lucky for us, Nathaniel Kahn's resulting doc bears little resemblance to the blaring therapy session on film it easily could've been. In some ways, in fact, it's the ultimate doc on an artist. You get the facts, sure, as well as some very spiritual images of the man's buildings. But you also get to collect the random clues to his personality that he scattered throughout the world. Unlike most artist docs, not to mention biopics, it wants to find the person buried underneath the work. Kahn's clear influence is Ross McElwee, the bottomlessly neurotic documentarian (Sherman's March) who seems to make films on whatever's going on in his life when he has film stock to burn. Kahn can't match McElwee on the personality front--even for a guy making a film painfully close to his heart, he's a forever-amiable presence and not the kind with a dementedly original worldview. Given the subject, though, that's a blessing. Things rarely turn ugly in Architect. Rather, it's a quizzical portrait that moves from informing us of Louis' career to finding clues to the carefully hidden soul of the man in his work. Like Capturing the Friedmans, it's a constantly vacillating weave. And Kahn is a natural at keeping all these balls in the air. He's not, however, fully there as a documentarian. A scene where he plugs his mother for answers comes off as exploitative and cheap. And there are a few too many dubious moments. Apart from those quibbles, it's a mature, wise piece. If only more bouts of therapy could be this clear-headed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This episode , was aired right around the time that the word was out that VDO and his wife, Carin had separated. When Goren makes some comment about Meredith loving the legend not the man. It made me sit back, and think about being a fan, and adoring VDO. There is a big difference in admiring someone's work and loving them. I am happy that Carin has the love of her life back, as I have mine! |
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Post by Patcat on Mar 14, 2008 13:08:57 GMT -5
Cassie;
Thanks for finding and posting this material. I find having this background material fascinating, and appreciate people going to the trouble to make it available.
Patcat
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Ladyheather
Detective
An acquired taste.....
Posts: 441
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Post by Ladyheather on Mar 17, 2008 9:23:16 GMT -5
"Buildings may crumble, but infamy will last forever" Goren. I always like the last lines from LOCI. It is a final jab at the criminal or pain of the victims.
When I first saw this one, I figured that all the "wives" knew about each other and it was maybe a group effort. As the story developed though, Meridith's nature became apparent. She was so paranoid. She really believed that she was the most important of his women. Didn't she know that he had other children with his other women?? She had to. So why was her child his legacy? In the final scene when they trick her into thinking that there was another wife, she implies that her baby is just that, his legacy. Wonder if her defense is that she is hormonal, depressed and used by a terrible man? She was only defending her home and life from some unknown man. I don't know, just a thought.
These were the type of shows that Goren and Eames almost finish each others sentences. They are in tune. They never have to spell everything out for each other, they just know. I like that a lot and wished that it would have continued that way. They bring in the personal stuff and though I like knowing about Goren/Eames, I don't want it to be the main focus of the story. I guess I am more an Agatha Christie/Poirot kinda fan. VDO gives Goren quirks and nuances that are unique. That enhances the story, his knowledge to the crime, his research, knowing every detail, fumbling with files... all of that make Goren feel real. Eames, the feminine side of Goren. She sees the detail he misses from her side. They do make a complete package.
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meggyd
Silver Shield Investigator
Posts: 112
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Post by meggyd on Mar 18, 2008 0:30:28 GMT -5
I struggled with this episode when I saw it and didn't think it was a particularly strong one. Like Goren, I was depressed at the idea of Eames going on leave! Though his surprised reaction was great. The man who thinks of everything still misses the obvious every now and then.
I also couldn't figure out what the women saw in the obnoxious and self-obsessed Laurette. To me he had the opposite of charisma. I guess it must be the fame, or some women are attracted to complete and total self-assurance regardless of how the man looks or acts!
I thought the references to September 11 and the damage that had been done were handled very well and was tied into the idea of legacy and remembrance. The whole episode seemed to be done in very subdued lighting, except when they were out of town visiting the other wives, and I wonder whether that was deliberate or whether it was just my interpretation of the storyline that made it seem so.
Poor Noah. He didn't deserve what happened to him. But not even the thought of her having to have her baby in jail could make me feel sorry for Meredith. I wonder what the punishment for bigamy is? Would Laurette have seen jail time of his own?
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meggyd
Silver Shield Investigator
Posts: 112
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Post by meggyd on Mar 18, 2008 0:30:55 GMT -5
I struggled with this episode when I saw it and didn't think it was a particularly strong one. Like Goren, I was depressed at the idea of Eames going on leave! Though his surprised reaction was great. The man who thinks of everything still misses the obvious every now and then.
I also couldn't figure out what the women saw in the obnoxious and self-obsessed Laurette. To me he had the opposite of charisma. I guess it must be the fame, or some women are attracted to complete and total self-assurance regardless of how the man looks or acts!
I thought the references to September 11 and the damage that had been done were handled very well and was tied into the idea of legacy and remembrance. The whole episode seemed to be done in very subdued lighting, except when they were out of town visiting the other wives, and I wonder whether that was deliberate or whether it was just my interpretation of the storyline that made it seem so.
Poor Noah. He didn't deserve what happened to him. But not even the thought of her having to have her baby in jail could make me feel sorry for Meredith. I wonder what the punishment for bigamy is? Would Laurette have seen jail time of his own?
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Patrick Roy, 2006 inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame
