New week, new episode insight
And I think my eyes turned into little squares after fighting with 13 pages of episode insights... interesting insights none the less.
DonnaJo's find in the urban dictionary alone made the effort worth it!!
I liked this episode - there was some very familiar "CI buzz" to it, one that not that many Leight-episodes have. They were busy with solving the crimes, there were scenes that showed the criminals/victims... there was some definite foreshadowing on who the murderer was. Btw., I think it was very intentional in this one, we were meant to know that Leslie did it. From the moment that she didn't speak up at the meeting like her victim urged her to do, I guess it was clear she was the one...
Goren was Goren in that ep, I loved it. Getting into the personal space of people, being a detective, connecting the dots. And aren't we glad that when Staci mentioned the red clothes, there were no flashbacks to remind us of Leslie, no we were supposed to remember!!
The size 13 comment really cracked me up. Of course it's a little CI-inside joke, that only those that know Jones will think is funny, but I really got a good laugh out of it... also, Eames commet to the shoe salesman was so Eames...!
I even really enjoyed the ensemble aria, the part Eames played in it, Bobby circeling his victim, Staci's role in it... and how Leslie crumbles when she realizes she hasn't outsmarted the detectives. I even think her outburst is quite believeable, and I think she could've easily gathered that info from other deparment members.
There were some weaker points, though. The death of Toby's sister seemed unecessary and as others have pointed out, is a leap of logic, too. The question on who had tampered with the mouth wash wasn't addressed at all. I guess we were supposed to believe that the public health agency would be taking care of it, yet that info seemed to go amiss in the story. Maybe from Bobby's comment we could gather that it was some third-world products being shipped into the country?
Oh, and the cigarette guy? Standing there selling his stuff while there were police on the other side of the street. He was bold, yes, but that bold? I don't know...
I wondered about Leslie's promotion, too. Then, maybe Palin was fired for being negligent about the mouthwash? Or for cosying up with his friend... or - it was meant as a bait for Leslie? Goren does that stuff to set up his suspects... maybe that's what is was.
To me, as much as I liked it, the scene with the little girl being held hostage seemed anticlimactic, too. I liked the scene itself, but it seemed overdone, out of place. There was no build-up to it, and it didn't really serve a larger purpose, too. I think it could've been written differently, with Bobby talking to her much the way he did, realizing that she's crazy and what she did. Btw. - was she supposed to be schizophrenic? She was talking to herself, hearing stuff and imagining things... and it would explain Bobby's confident behavior around her. He needed no second to figure out what to do...
If so, that scene makes even less believeable, in a way. Schizophrenics only rarely engage in violent behavior towards others, but rather against themselves. (I'm not saying it doesn't happen, just not that often...)
But maybe I'm reading to much into this.
You know, I guess it depends. We have two dogs and two cats, yet our cats don't really loose any hair at all. But I remember when I stayed with my host family in the United States, their cat would. Also it depends on the fabric. I don't have that many suits and like fabric, but these are like a magnet for hair. It also depends on the kind of brush - some brushes need not be cleaned each time after you've used them. Also, we face the "Galadriel"-problem... remember how in Lord of the Rings, Gimli wants 3 golden hairs from Galadriel? Well, ever tried to shoot that? You can't really see 3 hairs, so I guess there was this much hair for artistic reasons. Then I thought the guy was allergic to cat skin tissue, not the hair, but that might be the dubbing.
I absolutely loved the Bobby-Leslie interaction. He didn't let himself get carried away, yet I had the feeling he enjoyed the attention and really hoped that she wasn't behind the murder. Bobby is in a dark place at this point, still hurting about his mother. I sure luckily haven't had the vast experiences with losses of that kind, but I know that sometimes if something hurts me a lot, it also makes me a little "numb" to my surroundings. So it can be quite refreshing to be distracted, to enjoy oneself for just a little while. I guess this is what Bobby was doing, and it's sad he had to be disappointed. But it makes for a strong CI episode, because it underlines his quest for the truth.
Of course, I can't get around posting something about the end, can I?
Other than the people who initially responded in this thread, I know where we're headed down the road. I caught onto the water-carrier comment, because I know we'll hear that one again... Yet I think the "too late"-comment was a real bummer in the end. Now I didn't mind Leslie bursting out at them. That was in character, and it highlighted the parallels to the G/E relationship for those viewers that aren't as familiar with CI or don't indulge themselves into that stuff as we do. But I thought what follwed then was scripted bad and played out bad. First, Bobby is hurt when Leslie says that. When someone gets to Bobby, he struggles to regain composure. Think about Badge, or Nicole (I havn't seen her eps, but some clips on YouTube). I think it was very unlike Bobby to bounce back instantly and then ask Eames that kind of question, no stuttering, no rephrasing, no Gorenisms involved... not a comfortable surrounding in a bar or some time for them to have digested what Leslie said...
And Eames reaction was heartbreaking, at best - and awfully out of character, too. I'm aware the writer obviously didn't intend it to sound that way, but for me it came accross the wrong way. It's been stated here over and over again that Eames always sticks with the truth. I second that notion, but I would like to add that while she does that, she always adds some humor, this is why we perceive her to be snarky in the first place, isn't it? Eames "coats" the truth with her wry sense of humor. It's part of her seeming so "down to earth", because there's always a simple truth in her statements, even while you have to smile.
I also compare that reaction to the one in the bar in Albatross. She was a lot less definite in that conversation, but that wasn't snarky. (Didn't have to be, she wasn't stating definite fact there)
Now if she'd delivered the too-late-line in that uncertain, but light tone, it might have worked. I even think, since we did see how much Bobby was hurt by Leslie's statement, the scene would've worked without Bobby asking the question. It could've ended with Leslie's statement and a look between G/E. Yes, then we'd still be mindreading here, but KE & VDO are so fantastic at these looks. Then it could've played in a way where Eames notices Bobbys distress about that comment and assures him that they're okay, even without him asking the question. She still could've been snarky...
I just think this episode ended on a bad note because of the comment, and it didn't have to.