EPISODE OF THE WEEK: BRIGHT BOY

[Patcat]

Will air 4 am (EST) on October 8 on the USA Cable Network
Second episode of the second season. First aired October 6, 2002

Written by Marlane Gomard Meyer and Rene Balcer
Directed by Frank Prinzi

Guest Actors:
Tim Guinee as David Bishop
Liam Aiken as Robby Bishop

Synopsis: The murders of a Deputy Mayor and a city social worker lead Goren and Eames to a bright boy and his ambitious father.

Quotes:

Eames: "I was so well adjusted they elected me Prom Queen."
Goren: "I had to go to my counselor's office and have a talk with the school shrink."

Eames: "There can't be many places in town that give mortarboards to Baby Einsteins."

Eames: "You have to forgive my partner, Dr. Leonard. He's feeling very humble right now."

Robby: "What's fun for me isn't always fun for my Dad."

Eames: "I can tell from the bull he was telling his wife."

Dr. Leonard: "I hope you're not suggesting..."
Goren: "We are."

Robby: "Baseball's the thinking man's game."

Deakins: "Dads kill over hockey. Why not education?"

David Bishop: "There's nothing I hate more than discussing my child with a know-it-all."

Goren: "Not realizing his Dad isn't like any forty-year-old."

Goren: "Worse thing for him? He'll miss Robby's college graduation."

Trivia--The Riemenn Hypothesis exists. It was first proposed by Bernhard Riemenn in 1859. If it remains unsolved in 2009, it will have been open for 150 years. The Clay Mathemtics Institute offers a one million dollars prize for its solution.

This story may be based on the Justin Chapman case. Justin was considered a child genius, but it was revealed that his mother Elizabeth fabricated and manipulated test results. Justin was eventually removed from her custody and reportedly suffered psychological damage as a result of her actions.

The initial discussion of this episode suggested this is a very popular episode, with many people particulary enjoying the "Prom Queen/Sent to the counselor" exchange between Alex and Bobby and the interaction between Bobby and Robby.

Queries:

Does Robby's father care for his son at all, or only live for the reflected glory?

David Bishop has a history of not finishing things. Would he have finished Robby?

Who keeps their old report cards?

Does David really believe Robby is a genius?

What happened to Robby's mother? Was it an accident?

Would Robby have killed himself?

Will Robby survive? What will happen to him?

Why didn't the social worker pick up on how unhappy and troubled Robby was? Why didn't anyone?

Does the victim get lost in this story?

Is Dr. Leonard also a villain in this story?

Have Robby and his father moved a lot?

Anyone uncomfortable with Goren manipulating a troubled little boy in an interrogation?

If a Deputy Mayor wasn't involved, would Major Case have been called? And if Goren and Eames weren't on the case, would David Bishop gotten away?

Does Goren see himself in Robby? Or perhaps he sees Frank?

What is the Goren and Eames relationship like in this episode?

What is Carver's role?

Who's the Bright Boy? Just Robby, or possibly Goren and David Bishop?

Comments: Oh, I like this episode, another where we visit over ambitious parents We get Bobby in sunglasses, Alex snark, Bobby and Alex acting as a great team, and that lovely exchange between Alex and Bobby that reveals a bit of what their high school lives were like. (Does anyone else see both surprise and a certain wistful envy in Bobby's reaction to Alex's comment that she was Prom Queen?) There's the great visualizations of Robby's despair and Bobby's recognition of it by comparing Robby's work with Charlie Rasmussen's. (I love Charlie by the way, and the kid's interaction with his mother and the detectives. I think that kid is going to be all right.)

And there's one of the great guest actor performances in LOCI by the young Liam Aiken. Mr. Aiken is now 18 and headed for New York University. Before the film's producers decided they had to cast an English actor, Mr. Aiken was apparently in the running for the role of Harry Potter. He has gone on to play Klaus in the film adaptation of the LEMONY SNICKETT novels, and was splendid in the role. I hope he continues acting and gets good roles. He has an intelligent, watchful quality that's very appealing. Without overdoing a plea for the audience's sympathy or attention, Mr. Aiken is absolutely heartbreaking as Robby, and his work with Mr. D'Onofrio is stunning. Watch how he warily and carefully watches his father. In his last scene with Mr. D'Onofrio, watch how Mr. Aiken plays with the baseball and tries alternately to hide and then release his notebook. I don't know who came up with those bits of business, but they are perfect, and Mr. Aiken performs beautifully.

Again, submitted early due to life.

Patcat

[DonnaJo]

Although I thoroughly enjoy this episode, it isn't my absolute favorite for Season 2. I do believe that the murder victims, especially the Deputy Mayor, are forgotten to a certain degree, with Robby emerging in the story as a victim of both his father & the school's ambitions.

Even though it's a cute moment, I can't imagine a girl with Alex Eames' personality being elected Prom Queen. Sorry, that isn't realistic. That title usually goes to the pretty air heads. I can't see Alex ever playing the air head, even in High School.

I think that Robby's dad did love him. But that love was purely selfish, until the very end when he finally confessed so his son wouldn't have to deal with the guilt about his lie causing two murders. Personally I wasn't convinced that Robbie was suicidal based on the Alpha & Omega symbols in his math homework. Confused & upset, yes.

At the end, I felt confidant that Robbie would be OK moving to his Aunt's house & living there with his cousins. Having a normal life & playing baseball with the local little league.

[Patcat]

I think I've bored everyone with this story, but I believe Eames could've been Prom Queen because a girl in my class who I think was probably a lot like her as a teenager was elected Basketball Homecoming Queen during my senior year in high school (a much bigger deal at my school than being Prom Queen). She won because she was kind and funny. The picture in the yearbook is great. She's stunned and happy, and the other girls--some of them airheads--look like a truck ran over them.

I'm afraid I'm worried about Robbie. I think he's bright enough to eventually realize that his innocent lie led to the social worker's death. And, after having been in accelerated classes among gifted children, will he be able to adjust to a more "normal" life?

If I could gently disagree, I think Robby was suicidal. I hope his aunt and uncle love him a lot and get him some good counseling.

Do you think Bobby has kept track of Robby? See how he's doing?

Patcat

[Patcat]

Oh, another question I had. David Bishop says he has all of his report cards. Who keeps their own report cards?

Patcat

[DonnaJo]

If he was an only child with excellent grades, his Mom could have saved them over the years. When she passed away, he could have found them & kept them. To me, it isn't that far fetched.

[diablodeblanco]

Oct 6, 2008 13:37:22 GMT -5 Patcat said:

Oh, another question I had. David Bishop says he has all of his report cards. Who keeps their own report cards?

Patcat

I have one from 5th grade. Why? I don't know. It was in a bunch of stuff in my mother's estate.

[deathroe]

LOL--I don't have my old report cards, but I'm SURE my parents do.

My mom's mom also had hers; in fact, I recently used them to substantiate a legal claim So I was actually pretty glad that they were saved ...

[tjara]

Since I saw this episode yesterday and since USA is airing it this week (I remember seeing it on the schedule), I thought it would be interesting to dig up this old thread.

What an episode!! Chilling to the bone, in a way...
I've only seen it 1.5 times, will have to rewatch for all the subtelties...

But, for starters. I acutally do think that Robbie was a very gifted child. Not the kind of genius his dad is trying to make him into, but he must have been overly intelligent. Somewhere in the ep it's mentioned he scored 246 on an IQ test (the scale is basically open, but ends at 175, with 175 being "profoundly gifted"). I wonder whether that's the little glitch in the ep (or the dub?).
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IQ_reference_chart

Also, it's a little funny, this ep is set in May but the kids applied for the Spring/Summer Semester? Wouldn't they rather be applying for the fall semester or possibly a Summer programme?

As I took Ancient Greek in school I was delighted to see Goren find and identify the symbols in Robbie's scribblings. Nice detail on the writers part, and soooooo "Goren"!
Man, Eames has a few nice snarks in that episode (the one at the beginning with the pullover is priceless, also because she's the "smart" one in that scene and "fools" Goren) - and I'm with Patcat on this one - I think she's likeable enough to've been elected prom queen. And she gets to be a little grossed out at the junkie, too...

I checked out the MMPI, the test acutally seems to be for mental health in adults. From the ep I gathered it was more for "social skills" or how the kids would hold up under pressure, but maybe I misunderstood? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Multiphasic_Personality_Inventory
Also, from what I gather from the wiki article, the adolescent version was only made up in 1992. Seems to be one of the little LOCI inconsistencies, though I must say I don't know enough about the test to say whether Bobby and Alex may have taken it and also, maybe they used to use the adult version for kids back then... It would make sense that Bobby was subjugated to that test in school. Btw., the wiki article on IQ mentions that people with above average IQ are less likely to develop some mental illnesses, schizophrenia is among them. I wonder whether Bobby ever took an IQ test.

Does Robby's father care for his son at all, or only live for the reflected glory?

I think he loves his son. What he does, he does out of love and for the glory alike. He wants him to achieve and be happy because of his achievements, because he (Bishop) never managed to do that. Saddly he fails to see that his son is not happy because of his own achievements.

David Bishop has a history of not finishing things. Would he have finished Robby?

I don't think he has a history of not finishing stuff. He's dedicated, he just never was good enough to REALLY achieve anything in the fields he picked. I think it would've been a matter of whether he at some point realized that Robbie had reached the limit and couldn't go farther. At that point he might have dropped him, I fear. The question is whether Robbie might have tumbled under the pressure before that.

Who keeps their old report cards?

I do! I have all of them. Around here, they are considered official documents and usually they are kept for quite a while, though usually no one wants to see them once you're out of school. We still have some of my grandparents report cards and my parents sill have theirs.

Does David really believe Robby is a genius?

I think it's a borderline thing. He knows that he's not the genius he's made him to be, but then, as I said above, I think Robbie indeed is overly intelligent and he knows that...

What happened to Robby's mother? Was it an accident?

Yes, it was an accident.

Would Robby have killed himself?

I don't know, I don't think so (not at that point, but in the future maybe?), - he sure was screaming for help!!

Will Robby survive? What will happen to him?

I think he will survive, but he'll need a lot of help. But staying with aunt and uncle in Massachusettes might help a great deal.

Why didn't the social worker pick up on how unhappy and troubled Robby was? Why didn't anyone?

I think she did, but highly intelligent kids are rarely "easy". They are frequently socially inept, so maybe she didn't put too much focus on it. Just like the headmistress ignored the fainting spell.

Does the victim get lost in this story?

The social worker not as much (a little, maybe), but the deputy mayor, yes. But he really was what would be considered "collateral damage" by Robbie's dad.

Is Dr. Leonard also a villain in this story?

Maybe not a villain, but working for her own gain, too. This is why Carver gets to "give her hell" I guess

Have Robby and his father moved a lot?

Seems like it from Robbie's reaction to Colorado...

Anyone uncomfortable with Goren manipulating a troubled little boy in an interrogation?

It did seem a little "ruthless", especially because he does have that "Goren moment" when he notices Robbie's story is not correct. But after that, he tends very gently to Robbie.

If a Deputy Mayor wasn't involved, would Major Case have been called? And if Goren and Eames weren't on the case, would David Bishop gotten away?

I guess they would'nt have been called, and if Bishop had only murdered the Social worker he might have gotten away with it.

Does Goren see himself in Robby? Or perhaps he sees Frank?

And interesting thought. I guess he identifies with Robbie because Bobby himself was above average in intelligence (though I don't think he's a genius). I also think that he knows how it is to try to please his dad, because of himself, and because of Frank. Also, because of Frank, he knows what it looks like when people start to tumble under pressure.

Who's the Bright Boy? Just Robby, or possibly Goren and David Bishop?

Good question, but I do think it's Robbie.

I really loved how Bobby showed interest in the kid (many fatherly traits without acutally being one!), and Robbie seemed to be disturbed by it at first, but then started appreciating it. Liam Aiken did really well in that ep, and the "little" aria with VDO is just great. I love the expression of fear and confusion when Bobby pats Robbie on the back. Something tells me that Robbie rarely receives that kind of comfort.

I also liked that Eames got her moment with Robbie. Though we didn't really get so see it, I think it's nice that Eames jumped at the chance to talk to Robbie when his dad was distracted with Goren...

The whole bit with Carver and the school headmistress (?) seemed to be a little far fetched for me, but ok, it served the story, and they've bent the law before, so why not now...

The "real" aria of the episode is nice, nice because it's so quiet (Hey, and Alex wears a pink blouse!!) The whole episode seems rather "quiet", not slow paced or boring, but just "tender" and "gentle". And the aria continued that. The dad ultimately does what's right, he spares his son to testify in court, but one has to wonder whether Robbie will find out what his dad did because he (Robbie) lied.

A very solid offering, and episode to rewatch, and rewatch. I loved it.

[idget]

This is an episode that I really liked too. I enjoy it when we get to see the softer side of Goren and Eames. I love watching them interact with kids.

Does Robby's father care for his son at all, or only live for the reflected glory?
I think Robby's father sees him as an extension of himself and uses him to fulfill needs he was never able to accomplish, but I do believe that he loves him or he would never have confessed at the end.

David Bishop has a history of not finishing things. Would he have finished Robby?
As long as Robby was fulfilling his needs he would have.

Who keeps their old report cards?
My Mom, she has every one and I was no A student.

Does David really believe Robby is a genius?
I think so, or why would he enroll him in a school in which it would soon become evident that he couldn't keep up with the others?

What happened to Robby's mother? Was it an accident?
I think it probably was an accident.

Would Robby have killed himself?
Maybe, especially if he failed at school and disapointed his father.

Will Robby survive? What will happen to him?
I hope he finds happiness at his aunt and uncles.

Why didn't the social worker pick up on how unhappy and troubled Robby was? Why didn't anyone?
I don't know, especially since she seems to work a lot with children. Maybe she was preoccupied with other issues, wasn't she meeting the deputy mayor to talk about budget cuts?

Does the victim get lost in this story?
Yes, after the first 10-15 min, it's all about Robby and his father.

Is Dr. Leonard also a villain in this story?
I don't think so. She is giving these smart kids somewhere to learn and work with others of their kind.

Have Robby and his father moved a lot?
Probably, If he was a race car driver for a while, he probably lived in Charlotte NC.

Anyone uncomfortable with Goren manipulating a troubled little boy in an interrogation?
No, they were going to have to interview Robby one way or another and I think Bobby did a better job than most would have.



Does Goren see himself in Robby? Or perhaps he sees Frank?
You know, I never thought of that before. I doubt he sees himself because I don't think he ever received the attention from his father that he wanted. Maybe Frank.

What is the Goren and Eames relationship like in this episode?
I think they are working very well together and feel comfortable with each other.

What is Carver's role?
Off the top of my head, I can't remember what he did in this episode.

Who's the Bright Boy? Just Robby, or possibly Goren and David Bishop?
I think Robby.

I also think Alex would have made a good prom queen, after all she did say in one episode that she looked good in a black miniskirt. I bet she was very popular in high school.





[/quote]

[DonnaJo]

The MMPI was standard issue testing when I was in high school in the mid to late 1970's, right around Goren's time. I'm sure we used the adult version. It was a test to evaluate social skills and career possibilities.

I would love it if Walon Green and his writing staff would include the now almost adult Robbie in a scene in a new episode. Robbie would be starting college, I think? Goren's last words were that his father would miss Robbie's college graduation.

[tjara]

Hey Donna, thanks for the info! That's quite interesting.

The episode aired 2002, Robbie was 8 years then, so he'd now be 15.