5:18 - "The Healer" 2006-04-23

[NicoleMarie]

Alright, Sherri Saum (Lydia) gets my vote for worst villian.

Now she would make a great nemesis for Logan, especially since she challenged him in the end the way that she did.

[janetcatbird]

She was a pretty nasty piece of work, huh? I thought it odd that she warned Robbie about the herbs at the end--the way she had been I half expected her to let him chug.

Mama Louise was a nice touch--she believes, but she also has common sense and she didn't get too huffy with Logan. Wonder how Barek knew her. (Not quite Minerva from "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil", which is a terrific movie, but still cool.)

I can never have too much Rogers. And is it just me, or has Carver been unusually pissy the last couple episodes? Normally he's not miffed until there's been a screw-up of some kind. Maybe the 3 AM feedings and cross-country flights are taking their toll on Vance.

How often does Deakins carry the baseball out of his office and into another room? Or let others (Logan) play with it? Deakins also seemed very--not distracted, he was paying attention, but somewhat overwhelmed, like you could tell he had a billion other things going on and he was a little tired, like checking his watch as he walked into the room where Logan and Barek were. Is this gonna carry over into the personal plot? (Sniff, I'll miss him.)

One thing I noticed: the music. They were really working the spooky-exotic stalking-through-the-jungle sounds. Very atmospheric, but not too overwhelming, a nice touch.

--Catbird

[Patcat]

Oh, I think Carver just doesn't trust Logan...and the feeling is probably mutual. Carver at least now has an idea of what he can expect from Goren and Eames.

I find I like Logan and Barek more as time goes on, and I liked Barek's quiet acceptance of people's faith in this episode. I'm not as fond of them as Goren and Eames, and unlikely ever to be so.

Patcat

[mikeyrocks]

I liked this one a fair amount. Not my favorite Logan and Barek episode - but interesting and entertaining none the less.

Lydia was a pretty nasty piece of work - how horrible to take such advantage of people that are so vunerable - Looking to her as their last hope so to speak.

Mama Louise was a very intriguing character - I was also wondering how Barek knew her?

Roger's great - I wish she was in every episode ;D
She Makes me smile.

[NicoleMarie]

janetcatbird said:

And is it just me, or has Carver been unusually pissy the last couple episodes?

--Catbird

It's not just you. I thought it was just me! LOL!

[Techguy]

Not my favorite Logan/Barek episode--maybe the spooky, dark and low key atmosphere is the reason. However, the Lydia character is indeed such a nasty piece of work to make my top 5 of CI villains. She and her loathsome behavior of preying on helpless terminally ill cancer patients are what held my attention this episode.

I also like the Mama Louise character, and wonder about how Barek knows her. How is it Mama Louise is able to diagnose Logan's rash as poison ivy when even the esteemed Dr. Rodgers misses it? I can understand Logan's HMO not having a clue, but Rodgers?

BTW, I smiled during the scene when Logan and Barek visit Lydia's ex, Barek and the ex are discussing how the ex got sick. The look on Logan's face as his macho veneer fades when the rash and fever are mentioned is just too priceless.

I also get the impression Carver is especially prickly toward Logan and Barek and the progress of their investigation. And Deakins does seem a bit annoyed yet distant, so I'm wondering if his behavior and/or Carver's has to do with setting up what happens in the final episodes this season?

I have a couple of nits to pick:
--Lydia having candles already laced with poison ivy is a bit too convenient. Was she expecting the cops to show up, and had the candles ready to use on Logan to demonstrate her voodoo powers to make him sick? I find this a bit of a stretch.
--Robbie seems to capitulate and turn on Lydia a bit too quickly at the end. Yes, the drink Barek prepares is suspicious, but he's been too devoted a disciple/follower of Lydia's for over eight years to lose his faith so quickly. And he readily believes Logan and Barek when they tell him the two sisters were still alive when he encased them in plastic. Why so much faith in the detectives at the expense of Lydia?

As I said, I liked "The Healer" mainly for its unique characters-Lydia and Mama Louise-- and for providing a glimpse into alternative religions and healing methods. It also raises some questions and curiosity about where some of CI's characters might be headed in the remaining episodes.

[mimi1802]

What a shocker NM started a Logan episode thread!

The opening shots of the two girls wrapped like mummies were stunning. A very gripping scene, which reached its top when we learned that they were wrapped alive.

I was very skeptical when I heard the word voodoo in the episode. There were one million way to screw this up. The obvious way would have been to fall into clichés associated with the religion.

I was pleasantly surprised that no corners were cut short. You could tell that they did good research and made interesting links between past and current voodoo, its origin and its practice, etc.

I was very pleased to see that they acknowledged the Ancient Egypt root of voodoo and made a nice bridge between the past and the present. Without falling into superficial interpretations or pass judgments, the writing team showed the full spectra of colors of the religion: extreme negative voodoo followers (Lidya et al.), moderate ones (Mama Louise), respectful ones (Barek) and non-believers (Logan).

I was very hopeful when I saw Lidya combining both ancient medicine and modern medicine to treat her patients and was a little disappointed to see that this relationship was made a failure in the episode. I believe that the two can coexist. That's the only cliché I noticed in the episode. That people can't both believe in holistics medicine as well as in conventional medicine.

A very well acted episode with a Logan true to form; a non believer to the core. Barek's extensive cultural knowledge and respect to other becomes more and more fascinating.

My favorite was Mama Louise with her calm tone and charming French creole accent.

[trisha]

Great post, Mimi

I also really liked this episode and found Barek and her attitudes toward faith to be not only beneficial to the case, but to the whole tone of the episode.

Techguy, about the candles, I think Lydia kept them just in case someone, anyone, should be disrespectful to her or her "magic."

[Jefferaldo]

Hmm I just rewatched the candle scene and only just noticed that she deliberately switched the candle so that it would fall when she took the bag out.

Good episode. I'll comment later gotta go

[LOCIfan]

When I saw the preview for this one, I cringed when I heard the words "voodoo priestess", thinking it could end up being schlocky, but I was pleasantly surprised. Mimi, I agree completely with how well they covered the spectrum of believers/practitioners. It was balanced and not just an aren't-those-voodoo-people-freaky take on the subject. And it was refreshing to see Barek so open and nonjudgmental.

[NicoleMarie]

mimi1802 said:

What a shocker NM started a Logan episode thread!

Aw, c'mon, I gotta keep you guys on your toes!

Lydia still gets my vote for worst villian.

And I like Barek! hehe! ;D

[Techguy]

trisha said:

Techguy, about the candles, I think Lydia kept them just in case someone, anyone, should be disrespectful to her or her "magic."

Still a bit of a stretch, although your explanation takes up some of the slack. Lydia must have served in the US Coast Guard to have been so "prepared" (Semper paratus = Always ready). Not only that, she would have to remember which candle was the tainted one; they looked identical to me.

[Summerfield]

Other than Logan, there wasn't any passion in any of the performances! Barek sounded like she was reading from a text book for god's sake. Boring.

[filmnoir5]

summerfield said:

Other than Logan, there wasn't any passion in any of the performances! Barek sounded like she was reading from a text book for god's sake. Boring.

Compared to the earlier 2006 Logan and Barek episodes, this episode seemed flat in comparison. Maybe I am just a little grumpy that there are only a few L&O:CI episodes left and only 2 Goren and Eames episodes and no 2 hour movie and no season finale with Goren and Eames either to help Deakins if he returns next season or say goodbye to Deakins and would loved to have heard what Eames would say about voodoo and how Goren would react to it.

The episode did make me wonder if the Lydia character should be Logan's nemesis and Whoopi Goldberg would be better as Logan's partner. Well I can dream. I do think Whoopi would fill the "Goren part"(quirky/smart) of the partnership void better than Annabella Sciorra has thus far. Well if S. Epatha Merkerson can play a victims mother one year and a regular a year or 2 later and Jerry Orbach can play a defense attorney, Whoopi can be a regular detective if the show lasts another year or 2.

[Metella]

I thought the pace of this one was good.

I thought Barek was a flatline again for about 80% of her work.

I thought Logan infused the energy in all their scenes - even when he wasn't talking. He is really carrying her right now. Maybe she should have gulped down that potion.

I can't recall the scene now .... Deakins said something when giving them their hour - that smacked like he was foreshadowing his upcoming stomp on the rules ....... Starting to set the plausability of the upcoming ruckus.