MALIGNANT: EOTW

[Patcat]

Again, an EOTW that didn’t generate any responses when I first posted it. And I can’t understand why, as this is a particularly fine episode with some nasty moral quandaries and great scenes. So, a return.

Will air 8 am(EST) on August 2, 2010 on USA. First aired November 3, 2002. Sixth episode of Season Two.

Written by Micheal S. Chernuchin and Rene Balcer. Directed by Juan J. Campanella and Frank Prinzi

Guest Actors:
Jonathan Hogan as Reverend Norman Mills
Stephen Tobolowsky as Jim Halliwell

Repeat Offender:
Leslie Hendrix as M.E. Rodgers

Synopsis: The murder and robbery of two pharmacy delivery men lead Goren and Eames to a pharmacist with a dark secret.

Possibly based on the Robert Ray Courtney case. Mr. Courtney dispensed diluted cancer drugs for nine years, resulting in the deaths of more than a dozen people. He appeared to do this only out of greed. See the article at Wikipedia at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Courtney for more information.

Quotes:

Goren (to wrestling guy): “You’re going smack down for two murders.”

Goren: "I think I will have a piece of cake."

Eames (to suspect’s father): “Seems he went into the pharmacy business for himself.”

Goren (to a suspect): "This opportunity has the shelf life of one, maybe two hours. But then we'll have all your buddies in custody." Eames: "Oh, the tales they will tell." Goren: "None of them with a happy ending."

Eames (as Goren climbs on counter): “Don’t worry. He does this all the time.”

Rogers: "Nine families gave me permission to exhume the bodies." Goren: "Only nine? You must have some bedside manner." Rogers: "There's a reason I work with dead people."

Goren (to nursing home worker): “You see we did a little dumpster diving.”

Eames (about Carver): “Good news Charlie.”

Eames: “Maybe I need a prescription for my hearing.”

Goren: “His chance to be the pillar of a whole new community.”

Queries:

Maintaining one's standing in a church is a novel motive. Is it a believable one?

Does a church need a recreation center? Especially when it comes at the cost of its work with the poor?

Will Halliwell's fellow churchgoers recognize their complicity in his crimes? Are they complicit? What about his minister? Who belongs in a deeper circle of hell—Halliwell or his minister?

What will happen to Halliwell’s wife and children?

What did Halliwell’s wife know and when did she know it?

Would Halliwell's diluting of the drugs remained a secret without the robbery?

I confess that I don't know a great deal about diabetes, especially juvenile diabetes. I know there are great athletes who deal with it, but wouldn't pro wrestling be particularly dangerous for a kid?

Shouldn’t blood tests have revealed that the patients weren’t getting enough medication?

Is it usual for a nursing home or hospital to go to a private pharmacy for these medications? Wouldn’t they have been filled by an inhouse pharmacist?

How does this story fit into the way LOCI treats religion?

Is Carver a villain in this story? Did he have a choice in the way he could deal with the mercy killing husband?

What do we learn about Goren and Eames from this story?

How will Halliwell do in prison?

Comments: Perhaps it's because so many episodes from Season Two are so good, but it seems that MALIGNANT gets lost among LOCI episodes. It's a very good story, using a real life story for the basis of an examination of mixed motives and results. I like episodes that reveal Goren and Eames' great humanity and intelligence, as well as their justified anger at hypocrites. And two wonderful outdoor scenes. There's Goren's confrontation with the would be wrestling promoter, where the detective uses his considerable bulk to confront the cowardly kid. (And I have to confess Mr. D'Onofrio looks great in his sunglasses and gleaming white shirt.) And the beautifully choreographed and filmed final confrontation, where the dazzling sunshine offers no where for Jim Halliwell to flee the exposure of his dark deeds while the swirling wind reflects the chaos of his life. And does anyone else want to smack that arrogant, self serving minister?

Submitted for your consideration.

Patcat

[DonnaJo]

I really must see this one again, but I do remember how much I disliked Mrs. Halliwell and felt that her selfish, pompous behavior was very much to blame for her husband diluting the drugs. I mean, she knew that her husband couldn't afford to keep giving so much in donations to the church, but she didn't care. She put a blind eye to his dilemma, as did the self-serving Reverend.

As Patcat pointed out, the scenes with Goren being Goren were plentiful. And yes indeed, VDO looked fantastic in his shades, white shirt and designer suit.

I don't know much about this type of Christian church where parishioners donate buildings, pews and the like. Doesn't sound "Christian" to me at all.

[Patcat]

I know of one mega-church in the Indianapolis area that has a beautiful "campus" (and when did that word come to apply to things other than colleges and universities?). Its central building has a music room, a library, several meeting rooms, a gymn, and a large auditorium. I asked one of its attendees where the tabernacle was. She didn't know what I was talking about. The sacristy, I asked, and she stared at me. Where do you have services? I asked. In the auditorium. Catholics, even wishy washy ones like me, do speak a different language.

Patcat

[Patcat]

To be fair--it's customary for Catholic parishoners to donate money for pews, windows, etc. It always seemed to me to be a bit of trying to buy one's way into heaven. But as a way of honoring a relative, it has its appeal.

patcat

[Moonbeam]

Yes, Mrs. H was somewhat of a pain in the ass. Then again, Halliwell was "doctoring the books." It's understandable that she didn't know exactly what was going on. But instead of being supportive of his plight, she was more concerned with her standing in the community. I often wonder what happened to her after Dr. Halliwell went to prison. I caught twenty minutes or so this morning, and was reminded how calm and reassuring G/E were with the widower. They treated him with respect and truly understood his plight. No two could do that better than Goren and Eames.

On a more shallow note: A definite thud moment for me was when they appear at the church steps and the wind blows those curls of VDO.

One thing that bothered me was when they were walking through the garden and the widower was cutting tomatoes off the vine. As I recall, the time card stated it was April or May. Tomatoes don't come on until July or August.

[Patcat]

Maybe they were some of these new, genetically enchanced tomatos? (g). Or perhaps they were started indoors and then moved outside.

Does anyone think Carver's ethics move around a bit?

Patcat

[maherjunkie]

No I think he'll do anything to nail a perp. My hot moment was when Vincent looks sideways at the camera trying to light the sprinkler.

[Moonbeam]

Climbing onto the counter to get to the sprinkler.

Carver will take them any way he can.