EPISODE OF THE WEEK: SEX CLUB

[Patcat]

Will air 7pm (EST) on the USA Network on April 1, 2008.
First aired February 20, 2005.
80th episode. 14th episode of the fourth season.

Written by Elizabeth Benjamin and Rene Balcer
Directed by Alex Chapple

Guest Actors: Peter Bogdanovich as George Merritt
Rosanna Arquette as Kay Connolly

Synopsis: When the buyer of an adult magazine publisher's "little black book" is murdered, Goren and Eames are led to an ambitious politician and his exwife.

A story based on the auction of Hugh Hefner's personal mementos and the scandal surrounding Illinois politician Jack Ryan. George Merritt is clearly meant to be Hefner.

Quotes:

Deakins (on the campaign manager): "Worse. A Texas lawyer."

Merritt: "Only fun people in my book. Fun people have no regrets."

Goren (on the campaign manager): "Putting out fires before they start."

Goren (on Kay Connolly): "Genie out of a bottle. Maybe it was hers."

Eames: "A mattress full of swingers. Not the kind of a platform a politician wants."

Eames: "A sex fiend and a bully. A perfect fit for a politician."

Eames (after she and Goren are dismissed): "This is why I became a cop. You make so many friends."

Eames: "Choo-choo? As in the little engine that pulled the train?"
Merritt: "Whoever that girl was, she saw more traffic than the Holland Tunnel."

Deakins: "Tough to tell your kid that you're neglecting her while you're romancing the Seventh Fleet."

Goren (to Kay): "You haven't explained yourself to anyone, let alone your daughter."

Much of the original discussion of this episode centered on the casting of Peter Bogdanovich as George Merritt. But what I found fascinating about this episode was how a potentially sordid story became a story of a mother's attempt to redeem herself.

Kay Connolly does kill someone, and is indirectly responsible for another death. But is she the most guilty person?

What are Deakins' reactions to the "honeys"? Eames? Goren? What do their reactions say about the characters?

Carver works very closely and well with the detectives in this case. Why? Is it different from his attitude in other cases?

Does Goren identify with Regan, Kay's daughter?

Can Regan survive the loss of her mother? Will Jim Radcliffe prove to be a good father?

Comments and observations (and please argue if you disagree with any of these):

I've written before how important I think casting is to the success of a LOCI episode. Patricia Arquette's heartbreaking performance as Kay Connolly is the center of this story and contributes a great deal to its success.

There's a tendency to view Robert Goren as catnip to women, and there are hints throughout LOCI that he has had several relationships. But this story shows him reacting in different ways There's his almost innocent, gleeful admiration of the "Honeys" in both the mansion and Major Case. (I love the lingering look and craned neck D'Onofrio uses in the office as he watches the women leave.) At the same time, Goren seems disgusted by some of George Merritt's comments and Jim Radcliffe's actions. His disgust doesn't extend to Kay Connolly. Goren appears to have great sympathy for her, perhaps because she has attempted to make up for her past behavior.

When I first saw this episode, I was surprised at its relative restraint and sensitivity.

Submitted for your thoughts and comments.

Patcat

[maherjunkie]

I thought this ep was boring.

She kills someone because she doesn't want her kid to know she went crazy after a divorce? And it will no doubt come out when she goes to jail for 25 years.

The father is too self serving to be a good father. I think Goren empathizes with the daughter. I thought he was just laughing at his coworkers response to the honeys, not personally attracted.

[Ladyheather]

Well, I disagree with Goren not being attracted by the "Honeys". When they are in Deakins office and all the girls are out with the detectives. When the girls are leaving, Goren leans over and watches them go out. He probably was laughing at the other guys reaction but he was enjoying a little view himself. So funny.

Oh, agree that Goren identifies with the daughter. He knows that role very well. His father was like her mother, selfish, needy and immature. She did this because she made the whole world up that she lived in. She was the victim of this horrible sex fiend. Ok, he was creepy but she apparently liked that at the time. I didn't buy the whole, "I had poor self esteem and that is why I needed to act this way." I needed to know I was loved....yea by the entire second fleet. I am with Deakins on that one.

I turned on the TV show, The Girls Next Door recently. The whole bunny thing is still going on, at least in Hef's mind. Wow, dumb, creepy and funny. I wonder if any of the old Bunnies come back around??

[deathroe]

You know, I've always found this one interesting. It falls somewhere in the middle for me. Classic CI elements abound—quirky story, Goren empathy, little highbrow jokes—and it's a classic murder mystery. Yet, given just how good Season 4 is, I find it competing with other episodes for my attention (guess which one? *g*)

S4 is also very dark in places, arguably darker than what has followed, and in this regard too "Sex Club" strikes me as resting somewhere in the middle. However it was conceived, it seems to be something of a vehicle for Rosanna Arquette (definitely Rosanna and not Patricia)—agree strongly with Patcat here. Gives her
something else to do than search for Debra Winger, I guess (although she is going to be on The Medium with her sister this week, I take it, so perhaps I shouldn’t be taking these potshots ). This “vehicle” quality may be because of the prevalence of classic CI "criminal viewpoint scenes," also because IMHO D'Onofrio and Erbe bring out the best in Arquette’s acting.

I fall in the camp of finding this scenario believable: people will do crazy things for their children. I’d situate the interpretive heart of the episode somewhat in the aria, but more so in the scene between the detectives and Regan, where they get to the bottomof the mother-daughter relationship. Much may be made of Goren’s empathy with her, but I was also quite impressed by Eames’ interpretation of Regan: “You were a cutter? … who were you mad at?”

Speaking of Erbe, I cannot imagine any more perfect delivery than this one, which I got fascinated enough to youtube This is under-appreciated genius; one is still (still!) so inclined to forget how good she is at what she does. There is, too, much writerly consistency in Eames’ depiction here, I think (eg, the reference to the “buddy boy” system)—even if she does get a tad Goren-esque (responding to the word “implacable,” making psych. evaluations).

As to Goren, I didn’t feel the aria as much as some others (lack of chemistry in this particular scene, maybe?), but there were many little compensations. The scenes with Bogdanovich/Merritt are great. Likewise a very smart portrayal, down to his choice of intonation for the word “honeys.” And what a clever parody on the writers’ part, especially given the later success (!#^%!&^%@!^@%!) of that piece of junk Girls Next Door (on a side note, when some of my students, bright ones actually, reference that as a favorite show I get EXCEEDINGLY WORRIED *s*).

Merritt bodied forth what I take as a more general theme in this episode: truth telling. You had a set of characters telling fluctuating stories—I know you get that in most CI, most crime stories, but it was under the microscope in “Sex Club.” More at the level of providing structure than of showing theme. It made for comedy with the husband—what a sleaze!—catch Goren’s look as the husband changes his story about the Bacchus and Venus club to “one visit,” to “just five” visit”s … there’s a very pleasing momentum as the various stories unfold.



I think that, both with the husband and with Merritt, this resistence to the truth may be what most digusts Goren, whereas the honesty of Kay’s actions brings out his gentility. Cf. (and I’m just picking off the top of my head, we know there are others) his treatment of the little boy in S1 who killed his mother with ant poison (can’t remember title) or of the atheist “evangelist” in “Brother’s Keeper.” This empathy of Goren’s for a given perp does sometimes leave a bad taste in my mouth: it makes the victim get lost in the shuffle. After all, the victim is a human being, and in this case she did absolutely nothing wrong.

Lastly, a question: why emphasize Bobby and Alex’s disengagement from the case at the end? Why do they give Carver the copy of the black book to shred? I still don’t get that scene.

[DonnaJo]

I like "Sex Club" but it certainly isn't my favorite Season 4 episode. I thought Peter Bogdanovich was fantastic as the Hugh Hefner-ish George Merritt. So comfortably clueless about how bizarre his life is. Just like the real Hef. I've seen "The Girls Next Door," and Hugh Hefner is such a strange, odd man, living with all of these plastic, dumb, platinum dyed bimbos. I wonder how much of the show is real & how much is made up for the series?

Loved Peter, hated Roseanna Arquette as the mom. And I have liked her in other things. Talk about over acting & as Deathroe mentioned, there was absolutely no chemistry between her & D'Onofrio.

Also, I am a devoted mom, but I had no sympathy for her. Yes, it hurts to be abandoned by your spouse, but you have repeated sex with multiple partners at a sex club? And you murder someone so your daughter doesn't find out? IDK, I found the motivation for the crime far fetched.

Goren was attracted to the Honeys ( as any straight guy would be) but he was uncomfortable with Merritt's crass description of "Choo Choo," especially with a woman there.

[deathroe]

Agreed, DonnaJo--the motivation in this one IS somewhat (or perhaps a whole lot) far fetched. It is without a doubt a function of the whodunnit! Possibly just found Rosanna more sympathetic in this one than you did

[maherjunkie]

You guys are right, I did notice him being a little more personally involved this time. In fact, he stared at the honey who walked past him in the mansion the first time. Funny how even as he grows older he has that little boy gawk but Logan has actually restrained himself lately. A friend said he even grabbed at his belt buckle but that part got past me if he did.

I like this ep better now but the motivation is still lacking. You should not be best friends with your daughter while she is a teenager. And even if you tell her everything why not just say "Yeah I got a little crazy after your father and I split"- do the walls of Jericho come down cause you did?

If Rosanna Arquette's breasts were not bigger than her body I doubt she'd be that popular. She is whiny in everything she plays, and was actually deluded enough to think that she was the star of "Desperately Seeking Susan."