4:05 - "Eosphorous" 2004-10-24

[darmok]

I thought it was a decent episode, but nothing special. I'm not complaining because I don't want an emotional episode every week.

I think Carver is more adversarial this season than the last season and a half. He was unhappy with the way they were doing things again this week. Deakins is backing his detectives, though.

I liked the scene in the apartment. Goren goes in looking for the gold, but not knowing what it looks like; he just knows it will be "hidden" in plain sight. He tricks the woman into admitting that she's been in the apartment with the glass trick. He then notices the weights; maybe he realized at that point that they were awfully heavy the last time he picked one up. He lifts them again to confirm, and to see that they're "10 pound" weights. He makes an off-handed comment to clue Eames in. He still notices much more than she does, but she follows very easily.

I also liked Goren's reaction when he was trying to turn the woman, but she was sacrificing herself and protecting the man.

Those are my initial thoughts. I'll have to watch it again to catch more.

[darmok]

Sorry about misspelling the episode title. I feel awful (I hate misspelllings )

[trisha]

I geuss I cna fnorgive you, dormat I've never won any spelling bee's.

I also thought this was a solid episode. Strange that April learned enough about PTSD to carry the right affect at the hospital and home, but not the motel room, but she's not suposed to be all that bright is she? What really threw me was the way she seemed to walk right over the blood stain that marked the spot where her grandmother was killed. Even if she hadn't been held hostage there, would she do that? Maybe it's just me, but even if I didn't know whose blood it was, I still wouldn't step in it.

So, back to my problem with noticing hair ... Eames has shorter hair again, showing that this is yet another older episode, perhaps even shot before GB.

I like that Carver and Deakins are being used more, but I hope these scenes where they clash are not going to become a trend.

[LOCIfan]

Just a quickie post about this ep. I really liked it and wanted to comment on the title.

As Observer posted on the Future Ep Board:

"Eosphoros is a quite an interesting name... In early Greek mythology, Eosphoros was the Morning Star or Dawn Star – the name means “dawn bringer,” and he was thought to be the son of the goddes of the dawn, Eos. The Evening Star was thought to be different, and called something like Hesphorus. At some point they figured out that they were the same “star” – actually a planet, which the Romans eventually called Venus. Before they called it Venus, though, they called it the Latin word for light bringer – Lucifer. And, of course, that name got tied in with the mythos of a certain fallen angel... So there are all sorts of possible connotations with this title."

I thought the way this title related to the episode was very interesting. Mitch must've seemed, initially, like a "bringer of light" to both Elinor and April. For Elinor, it could even be considered literally -- in the form of television lights/publicity -- as well as the bringer of a new dawn that would revitalize her public persona. For April, this bringer of light seemed to open her eyes to the way in which she was being taken for granted within her own family and also brought a new day in the form of a new (possibly first) love. But as both women discover, their bringer of dawn/light ultimately morphs into Lucifer. Then, of course there are both the pagan and Christian implications of the name which fold nicely into an episode about people preoccupied with religion. And I'm probably missing some other tie-ins. I just think it's kinda nifty. Wow, did I just type the word nifty?! ;D

Anyway, that's my quickie post for now. Will weigh in with more later after a rewatch.

[domenicaflor]

Overall, my impression of this episode despite these 2 points was good, not spectacular. Unfortunately my TV signal wigged out, so I have a bad video copy to refer back to, but I shall try to rectify that.

There was one aspect of Eosphorus I didn't like, which I discussed on another board. How come LOCI had to stoop to the level of the overused stereotype of overweight women being weak, unsure, dumb, ugly, and sexually unattractive? I have heard that psychological studies on children have shown that average size/weight children view overweight children as less intelligent than other kids. The show used the niece's weight as the "self-esteem" issue that led her to be sucked in by the conniving massage therapist. Then they reinforced various times that she was supposedly not very bright. Double-bias. Lovely, just lovely.

And of course, this episode is aired right after the start of NBC's reality exploitation of the week: "The Biggest Loser". Coincidence? I wonder.....

<<Can you see the steam rising from my head here??>>

Now that The Practice is cancelled, I think they should hire Camryn Manheim as a villain on LOCI. She could then show the world how a beautiful, sexy, healthy, intelligent, woman of size can kick some serious ass.

Oh, and pet peeve number 2 which I want to research: Maybe someone here in the medical field can help out here. Since when is *Rheumatoid Arthritis* connected to being overweight? I know that *Osteoarthritis* is connected, due to strain on weight bearing joints.

My sister has RA and she was always thin prior to diagnosis, except for some weight gain due to steroid use for the RA. It would surprise me that a person diagnosed with RA would be prescribed only one medication, and then not remember the name of it. (These meds have side effects and counter-indications.) Then I was surprised by the niece getting massages, and doubly by ones off the books and not in an office. My sister has told me that she was advised specifically NOT to get massages because an individual untrained in the needs of RA patients could make her condition substantially worse. So, it strikes me that the writers stumbled in the research department on this one. Any comments from the gallery?

Those are my pet peeves on an otherwise fairly good episode.

D.

[Techguy]

A few brief impressions while the episode is still fresh in my memory:

1) in keeping with my goal of being more observant of the subtle details, I did pick up Det. Goren's statement about AAA baseball, so I will add that to his known areas of interest.

2) Domenicaflor's comments about the portrayal of an overweight woman is right on. A little sensitivity training seems to be in order here.

3) about the light references and Lucifer, etc.--my take on Mitch's betrayal is that it is an adaptation of Judas' betrayal of Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. The supreme irony, of course, is having an atheist of all people being sold out and murdered for gold. April's "apple" was the attention paid to her by the treacherous Mitch, who, as a masseuse, did his own "laying on of his hands" on both Elinor and April, and ended up playing serpent to two non-believing Eves. Sorts of sets the stage for Det. Goren's final comment about how the women didn't believe in heaven or hell, but didn't realize the devil was massaging their backs. Ouch, can the truth hurt.

[Rose]

"

domenicaflor said:

Overall, my impression of this episode despite these 2 points was good, not spectacular. "

I seem to be in the minority so far...I think this was one of the weakest episodes of CI I've ever seen. Goren is too smart to have gone so long without figuring out that the granddaughter was in on it. There wasn't much brilliant detective work or psychological insight in this episode...no wonder Carver was frustrated. But even Carver's scene seemed a bit too contrived to make him come across as harsh for the sake of being harsh. This sure is a season of peaks and valleys for me! I am in love with Want and the earlier episode with Nelda the stalker-nurse. I hope we get more eps like those real soon!

Dom continued:

"There was one aspect of Eosphorus I didn't like, which I discussed on another board. How come LOCI had to stoop to the level of the overused stereotype of overweight women being weak, unsure, dumb, ugly, and sexually unattractive?"

What's worse, this isn't the first time they've depicted a an overweight woman as so desperate for love, she's able to be duped by a criminal.

[pompusone]

I'm weighing in on the okay episode side. I liked the twists and turns, considering and dismissing the possible suspects in turn but I didn't like the overweight granddaughter. For all the reasons others have mentioned.

[Metella]

I am tentatively on the ok to good side ... I missed the 1st 15 minutes! GASP (I have never missed a second except one in the 1st season during a hugh storm) and the next 15 minutes didn't get my full attention.

So - I will not speak to plot or story line.

Goren's attitude and manner seemed more akin to his season 1's ..... this I like. Don't like seeing overweight women "typed" but did like seeing one cast in a major guest role.

[LOCIfan]

I'm with Metella on the overweight character issue. It is shameful that strong, large women are rarely portrayed on television. On the other hand, I don't mean for that to take away from the actress' performance, which I thought was very good. And, it was nice to see a large actress have such a pivotal role -- as opposed to being the best friend of the skinny lead or having one line in one scene. There are so few images of overweight people on television, and even fewer positive ones.

That said, I think this story was ripped from the headline of the Madeline Murray-O'Hare case of several years ago. Murray-O'Hare, her son and her granddaughter were kidnapped, tortured and murdered. In the actual case, all three of the Murray-O'Hares were morbidly obese, which may have impacted casting of the granddaughter -- though I noticed that Elinor was a thin actress. However, I also noticed that April's father was a large man, which is true to the actual Murray-O'Hares.

As for rheumatoid arthritis, there is a correlation between obesity and rheumatoid arthritis in women. Both conditions involve hormonal changes and though it's not known how the hormonal changes associated with obesity impact autoimmune disorders, there is a correlation. Additionally, added weight on joints contribute to the breakdown of joint tissue during rheumatoid arthritis. And massage therapy has been found to be useful in relieving pain for some RA patients, though it is always accompanied by drug therapy. It seems as though the writers did their research on this one.

[gorenrocks]

metella, you're right about goren seeming more like season 1 goren in this episode. as i was watching i couldn't put my finger on what seemed different about him, but you nailed it. it was a more detached, analytical and caring, but in a professional way, goren. It was a pulled together goren. with stubble.

i liked the twists and turns of the plot and loved that the three kidnappers were named larry, claude and mo -- pretty close to the three stooges.

it sucks there isn't a greater diversity of portrayals of big women, but i thought mara hobel was great as april. and april's weight made sense to me. abandoned by both parents through death and absence. growing up in a home full of adults more interested in arguing about ideas and seeking publicity than maintaining functional interpersonal relationships or nurturing the people around them. april was left to comfort herself and i can see food being an option. sort of her addiction of choice, because i could also see drugs or alcohol or sex being the kind of coping mechanism this character might turn to, but her desire not to rock the boat or cause family strife and just the fact that she was shy made food seem like a coping mechanism that made sense for the character.

[domenicaflor]

I definitely agree with many of you that there are not enough active, strong, interesting roles for overweight people (men and women) that are not caricatures. So I suppose in that sense I am glad for chance for a good actress (Mara Hobel) to show her talent. I read on IMDB that she played Joan Crawford's daughter in MOMMIE DEAREST (now THAT's a scary role, LOL) and also played in PERSONAL VELOCITY (2002, with Kyra Segwick, Parker Posey, and Fairuza Balk).

LOCIFAN: Thanks for the clarification on the Murray-O'Hares. If they were large indivuduals, then the casting staff were trying to be accurate with their ripping from the headlines, so that gives a more balanced perspective to the choice of April's character.

Thanks also for the feedback on the rheumatoid versus osteoarthritis issues. I did not know of the specific weight correlations or the massage treatments. From my own limited personal experiences, the comments in Eosophorus really made me pause in confusion. I wonder if any of the Murray-O'Hares also had arthritis or if that was just how they worked the tie-in to the criminals?

Since weight/body image and self-esteem do go hand in hand, especially for women, and especially in the USA, I do understand why the character of April could effectively be written as such. As one who struggles with both, I think it just gets my own hackles up to see it facing me on the screen and, on top of that, from my favorite TV show.

D.

[jaquetta]

I really liked this episode. I liked that it involved a family and family dynamics to pull off (or to be twisted) and did not involve visions, dissassociative episodes or psychosis, just good old fashioned greed, the desire to be loved, the desire to be admired or to be a celebrity.

I liked that they cast an overweight woman to play the lead. Really, she could have been typically Barbie looking because the desire to be loved and to be fooled by someone is not solely the province of the overweight. Oh. Your point was that that's the reason why they cast her? Well, that could be. I hadn't actually even thought of that. Sort of like smoking is now short hand for bad?

I immediately saw the Madeline Murray O'Hare parallels because, geez, you know how there are no new ideas under the sun? There aren't any new characters on network TV either. Ripped from the headlines, constantly, constantly, constantly gets on my nerves. At least it was an old headline.

[LOCIfan]

Techguy, I love your interpretation of the title of this episode!

domenicaflor, I can certainly understand your reaction to the April character in this episode. I don't know if any of the Murray-O'Hare's suffered from RA. The articles I remember reading about the case didn't have anything to do with a massage therapist taking advantage of them -- they were murdered by an ex-con, ex-employee of theirs.

But I did think it was particularly apt that April would fall for a massage therapist who, according to the other masseur, "had a way of making women feel good about their bodies." That must've been a liberating experience for April. I also didn't think April was portrayed as stupid, but as someone lacking confidence and self-esteem. Her uncle said April's appearance on the radio show wasn't publicized in case she changed her mind about going on the air, because she lacked confidence. And when he said she couldn't pull off a surprise party, I didn't think he meant she was stupid, just that she'd need the approval of others before taking action.

She didn't seem stupid to me, but she did seem susceptible to Mitch's manipulation. She was ready to see herself as someone deserving of a boyfriend, so she fell for Mitch. She was ready to see herself as someone the family didn't value or pay much attention to, so when Mitch suggested they were ripping her off, she believed it. She was ready to rebel against her grandmother, so she agreed to a fake kidnapping plot. She was ready to believe she deserved better than to be the overlooked, overweight kid in the family. In some ways, the terrible decisions April made were the result of her feeling more empowered and less passive. The devilish trick that Lucifer played, though, is that it was based on the lie of his affection.

[Techguy]

Thanks, LOCIfan!

In my previous post I forgot to mention that Mitch (or Mitchell) is the English variation on the Hebrew name Michael, which means "who is like the Lord." Michael also is the name of the archangel who drove Lucifer and the other fallen angels from heaven.

Mitch is in some ways a dual nature character himself--both like the Lord and the devil--as he can be seen as bringing both light (attention) and darkness (death).

So in "Eosphoros" I see yet another example of the topsy turvy, inverted, turned inside out universe that CI likes to have fun with when naming episodes.