EPISODE OF THE WEEK: VIEW FROM UP HERE

[Patcat]

Will air on January 12 at 1pm (EST) on the USA Network
First aired January 2, 2005. Tenth episode of the fourth season.

Written by Jim Sterling and Rene Balcer
Directed by Alex Chapple

Guest Actors:
Adam Goldberg as Victor Garros
Missy Doty as Anne Marie
Leslie Hendrix as M.E. Rodgers

Synopsis: A murder leads Eames and Goren to a new high rise with floors of trouble.

Note: The episode originally ended with a dedication "For Jerry" in memory of Jerry Orbach, who died December 28, 2004.

Quotes:

Carver (leaving a sobbing suspect): "You'd think she'd be relieved."
Eames: "It's a big come down from God's avenger to prize patsy."

Eames: "Oh, we're doing a makeover on our squad room."

Eames: "The fancier the building. The bigger the vermin in the walls."

Goren: "You know, crawling around in the dark like a...like a bug."

Deakins: "Talk about your dream house."

Eames: "So, your alibi is our other suspect."

Goren: "You're not stupid to have faith."

Carver: "This building's quite the steamy beehive."

Darla: "One night I had too much champagne, and then I had Victor."

Eames: "The view. You really do pay for it."

I'd like to change the format a bit, and start with some comments and questions. I don't think it's a secret that this is not one of my favorite episodes. Indeed, it may be my least favorite. I was surprised when I reviewed the board's initial discussion and discovered my first response to this episode wasn't all that negative. It does contain some of what can make a classic LOCI episode. There's Goren performing his meticulous examination of the crime scene. There's Goren poking the body and dealing with M.E. Rodgers. There's some good Eames snark. There's good give and take between Eames and Goren, with each politely challenging each other. There's Goren's careful reading of Anne Marie and his remarkably gentle interrogation of her. There's a huge crop of extremely unlikable red herrings. (Does anyone else hope that all of these spoiled people are taking a terrible hit in this economy?) There are some terrific visual images, including Goren's use of the saw and the surveillance footage of the rat like Victor climbing through the building. And the sense that the building's physical failures and destruction reflect the immorality of its inhabitants pervades the story and creates a wonderfully grim atmosphere.

So, why doesn't it work for me (and, it seems, many others)? Is it that Anne Marie's compliance isn't believable? Is Victor's plot too complicated? Are Victor's motivations too unclear? Are there too many characters with too little development?

Victor's character, and Adam Goldberg's performance, are major weaknesses to me. I just can't see Darla allowing the affair to continue, unless she was so afraid that her husband would discover it. Mr. Goldberg comes across as a whiny child, although I suppose that's what Victor really is. (Is there another LOCI episode where an actor's performance or casting hurts the story?)

This is also one episode where I think Mr. D'Onofrio looks unwell, and his energy really seems to be flagging. I believe it was during the filming of this story that he suffered his physical collapse, and I don't know if that knowledge has any bearing on my reaction to his appearance. But it does seem that his exhaustion haunts the episode.

For whatever reason, this episode doesn't have the energy and spark of a good LOCI story. It's unfortunate, because I see all the elements of a classic episode.

And some queries:

Where do these people get their money? Particularly Victor.

Is this episode about class?

Goren treats Anne Marie very gently. Why?

Submitted for your consideration and comments.

Patcat

[DonnaJo]

Patcat, this question of your sums up what I find wrong with this episode:

"Are there too many characters with too little development?"

The many characters are one dimensional and unsympathetic. Even Anne Marie doesn't evoke much sympathy. Her "faith" is silly. I mean, who would believe that God would work in such a manner? Voices in the air shaft telling you to kill? It's eye rolling.

Adam Goldberg, a fantastic actor, was miscast here. His performance flips flops from bored to frenetic. And VDO looks and acts likes he's about to fall over from the exhaustion that eventually put him in the hospital. Although I've always thought he collapsed during "Collective" ( the stairway scene).

[Moonbeam]

Maybe it looked better on paper.

[Techguy]

I can't add anything to what DonnaJo has already said and what Moonbeam has suggested. I imagine this episode looked and sounded great as a script but the characters, especially Victor, were too one-dimensional.

[leanonme]

UGH, was my reaction when I saw this was the episode of the week. This was the one episode I watched and said," that was terrible." WHY was it terrible? Oh, where to begin... I think you all have covered it.