[eta: quick correction. The tit for tat note was def. Nicole-her kiss on the note.]
Want to apologize for being a thread hog, but I have to get this all off my blotter in 15 min before I go back to two hours of lesson prep, followed by the re-watch ... o me. Compliments to the writers for keeping me guessing--and relatively captivated-- at 9:37, even with the four-minute spoiler.
Just some things I noticed:
--first clue (had one not been spoiled) that Gage was the "2nd shooter": when he complains about not being listened to. Per Gage, per "Blind Spot," that's what profilers are supposed to do for killers.
--Nicole's "big doe eyes" when Gage kills her=direct setting of N and Mama "Bambi" in parallel. Very nice--I hadn't seen that one even if the writers had.
--More parallelism: Goren pushing Declan in the wheelchair=Goren pushing Mama. He's been a caregiver all his life. Poss. why he won't let himself be taken care of (did I ship? Oops
).
--Parallelism also seemed (POSSIBLY) to be written in vis a vis the last Logan episodes (or at least, they used flashbacks). I'd have to revisit "Last Rites," though.
--Exactly a year since "Brother's Keeper" (Mama Goren's b'day).
--Gage, Ross both at Mama's funeral.
--Flashbacks were restrained/effective. I predict for this to be a rerun classic that will re-acquaint people with the show.
--Junkie brother dead=a classic LOCI kind of a storyline, if you think about it ("Probability"--and, of course, "Grow.")
--Gage trying to understand Jo (writing that book) was somewhat redemptive. Jo eating her tongue, though--was--a little too
Silence of the Lambs.--Gage's complaints about "getting lost" when Bobby talks. Gage understands his diminishing capacities, but he's likely always been jealous of Bobby's superior intellect.
--On a shallow note, this was the first time I liked Rodgers as a blonde. SHe must look better IRL--she has such blue eyes. I thought everybody else looked pretty good, too.
--This was the first Eames was hearing of Goren's DNA test??? But she suspected, of course.
--Ross calling Rodgers "Elizabeth" and Goren saying "your girlfriend"=whoah. Heh. And the way he holds Ross' eyes in that scene!
--Telling that Eames is the one sensitive to the "gaslighting." One just amazing moment when Eames tells Ross "I have a witness." Ostensibly it's Gage she's referring to, but the whole shtick about people who've survived a serial killer being witnesses (which I didn't write down but might later) ... that's about her, Eames. Very nicely played, again--sweet, even.
--Loved Eames getting to explain herself to Gage the way she did: all of that, yeah, but not against my partner. Once again, KE is the best thing on tv.
--Don't forget that Jo's death frees Eames, too (and Frank's, and Nicole's, I'd argue .... but Jo's death quite obviously frees her former captive in some way). That we get no overt mention of this seems very much in line with Eames' characterization on the show. Let me tell you, she is a wonderful character.
--Gage was the devil speaking truth, also about Eames, about how she didn't remind him of his mother and Nicole. I found that whole exchange fascinating.
Biggest structural complaint is that, for the whole thing to work, Gage had to have been Goren's confidant. Given the "tit for tat" note, he must have said A LOT; given Gage's retention of all that, Gage must have been obsessing about Goren a LOT. One wonders why he would have confided in Gage, but I suppose it speaks to Goren's humanity. Meanwhile, Gage continued focussed on redeeming himself until the end. Which--and here's someplace else that I think we can give the writers credit for perceptivity--is what has been Goren's issue all this season as well. Redeeming himself.
That last scene was certainly touching enough. Biggest gratification to me was how quiet and dignified it all was, even so. And it was sleight of hand, yes, but it also worked for the most part. Here's to Season 8. And to answer Tech Guy's question: yes, I think he is. Given answers, he's being forced to grieve and to move on.