Post by Patcat on Jan 16, 2009 10:44:03 GMT -5
Will air 2pm (EST) on January 23 on the USA Network. First aired September 25, 2005. First episode of Season Five.
Written by Marlane Gomard Meyer and Rene Balcer
Directed by Frank Prinzi
Guest Actors:
Boris McGiver as Larry Chapel
Molly Gottlieb as Gwen Chapel
Kevin J. O'Connor as Evan Chapel
Repeat Offenders:
Chris Noth as Mike Logan
Leslie Hendrix as M.E. Rodgers
Olivia D'Abo as Nicole Wallace
Synopsis: The death of a health inspector leads Goren and Eames to an old nemesis. But why is she back?
Quotes:
Eames: "A needle full of potassium. I don't remember that in the mugger's handbook."
Goren: "Sugar cravings? Late night trips to the projects? He might be supporting a drug habit."
Eames: "That's one way to cope with a city job."
Eames (to Logan): "Nice desk."
Nicole: "Don't you know that the secret of luck is never to trust it."
Nicole: "Daddies can love too much."
Logan: "Beauty, brains, and a complete psychopath. My dream girl."
Rodgers (on Mrs. Chapel's death): "One of the most common ways your house can kill you."
Goren (to Nicole about her efforts to be a mother): "That's like an ape trying to learn to eat with a knife and fork."
Goren: "Here you are, with a child killer as a boyfriend, because this is the kind of people you attract, because you will never have a normal life. A normal life is not for you, Nicole."
Evan Chapel: "I can always have more children. Where do you get $ 5 million?"
Goren: "She did it. She...she did the right thing."
Nicole: "You were right, Bobby. I couldn't take the chance. This is one more thing you're taken from me."
It's quite possible we exhausted the discussion of this episode when it first aired. Then again, maybe not.
I suspect the writers found themselves in a bit of a quandry when viewers voted for Nicole to live. How well do they resolve this problem with this episode?
Who, or what, grows in this episode?
Has Bobby forced Nicole to grow? Has Nicole forced Bobby to grow?
Does Bobby allow Nicole to get away with anything?
Who wins this round in their battle--Nicole or Bobby?
Why does Nicole turn to Bobby to get help for Gwen?
Is Dr. Evan Chapel smart enough...or sober enough...to have developed his scheme?
Did Nicole really kill her child? Could it have been an accident? Or does she believe it was an accident?
Was Bobby right...would Nicole eventually kill Gwen?
What's Logan doing as part of this investigation? How does he interact with Goren and Eames?
Deakins seems to know a great deal about 12 Step programs. Does this come from personal experience?
Evan seems surprised that Nicole turns on him. Should he be?
Is Frank the thing Nicole takes from Bobby? What does she know about Frank? Why doesn't she use Frank against Bobby the way she uses his mother? And why doesn't Nicole ever threaten Eames?
Comments: When I first saw Nicole Wallace/Elizabeth Hitchens/Leslie Eastman/the Evil One/Whatever she's calling herself, I thought she was a fascinating villain. Here was this beautiful, intelligent, small, delicate looking blonde woman who dressed in white and could joust effectively and murderously with our hero. Oliva D'Abo's physical presence contrasted wonderfully with Vincent D'Onofrio's large size and dark coloring--and compared unsettlingly with Kathryn Erbe's small stature and blonde looks--and Ms. D'Abo's splendid acting was a more than worthy match with Mr. D'Onofrio. Nicole was a wonderful creation, a Moriarty to match Goren's Sherlock Holmes. Her evil defined his goodness; her strengths revealed his weaknesses.
But Sir Arthur Conan Doyle knew not to-- or at least didn't--bring his villain back from the dead. While Ms. D'Abo's performance remained excellent, Nicole's returns brought diminishing returns. Her continued escapes from the police were increasingly contrived, and her attack on Bobby was a one note weapon using his mother.
And then, just when I thought nothing more could be done with Nicole's character, came this episode. Yes, there are problems with it. There are plot holes you can drive a truck through. Why does Nicole appear to love Evan and want to marry him when she knows he's trying to kill Gwen? Even without the extradition to Australia, aren't her crimes in the US enough to get her in jail? But I'm willing to forgive these points in the face of the way this story forces me to reconsider Nicole's character and the terrific way the story shows how a seemingly evil person can do a good thing. It's one of those messy moral quandries LOCI does so well. I love the brutal, brilliantly written and acted scenes where Bobby strips away Nicole's illusions and defenses.
GROW reveals that Bobby Goren has grown. With Eames' help, he's prepared for Nicole's attacks and shakes them off. He doesn't jump to conclusions, but listens to Eames' gentle warnings. He listens to Eames when she expresses concern that he may be going after Nicole as revenge; Eames also listens to Goren later when she fears he may be going easy on Nicole.
Nicole grows some, but not as much as Bobby. After Bobby forces her to look at herself, she does recognizes she's a threat to Gwen and does the right thing. But Nicole can't grow beyond this, and she retreats. She blames Bobby for her own failures and threatens him.
GROW, I think, marks the end of the intellectual dual between Bobby and Nicole, and Bobby has won. Nicole can't hurt him any more, and he's mortally wounded her. Her only remaining weapon is a physical threat against those Bobby loves.
Submitted for your comments and consideration.
Patcat
Written by Marlane Gomard Meyer and Rene Balcer
Directed by Frank Prinzi
Guest Actors:
Boris McGiver as Larry Chapel
Molly Gottlieb as Gwen Chapel
Kevin J. O'Connor as Evan Chapel
Repeat Offenders:
Chris Noth as Mike Logan
Leslie Hendrix as M.E. Rodgers
Olivia D'Abo as Nicole Wallace
Synopsis: The death of a health inspector leads Goren and Eames to an old nemesis. But why is she back?
Quotes:
Eames: "A needle full of potassium. I don't remember that in the mugger's handbook."
Goren: "Sugar cravings? Late night trips to the projects? He might be supporting a drug habit."
Eames: "That's one way to cope with a city job."
Eames (to Logan): "Nice desk."
Nicole: "Don't you know that the secret of luck is never to trust it."
Nicole: "Daddies can love too much."
Logan: "Beauty, brains, and a complete psychopath. My dream girl."
Rodgers (on Mrs. Chapel's death): "One of the most common ways your house can kill you."
Goren (to Nicole about her efforts to be a mother): "That's like an ape trying to learn to eat with a knife and fork."
Goren: "Here you are, with a child killer as a boyfriend, because this is the kind of people you attract, because you will never have a normal life. A normal life is not for you, Nicole."
Evan Chapel: "I can always have more children. Where do you get $ 5 million?"
Goren: "She did it. She...she did the right thing."
Nicole: "You were right, Bobby. I couldn't take the chance. This is one more thing you're taken from me."
It's quite possible we exhausted the discussion of this episode when it first aired. Then again, maybe not.
I suspect the writers found themselves in a bit of a quandry when viewers voted for Nicole to live. How well do they resolve this problem with this episode?
Who, or what, grows in this episode?
Has Bobby forced Nicole to grow? Has Nicole forced Bobby to grow?
Does Bobby allow Nicole to get away with anything?
Who wins this round in their battle--Nicole or Bobby?
Why does Nicole turn to Bobby to get help for Gwen?
Is Dr. Evan Chapel smart enough...or sober enough...to have developed his scheme?
Did Nicole really kill her child? Could it have been an accident? Or does she believe it was an accident?
Was Bobby right...would Nicole eventually kill Gwen?
What's Logan doing as part of this investigation? How does he interact with Goren and Eames?
Deakins seems to know a great deal about 12 Step programs. Does this come from personal experience?
Evan seems surprised that Nicole turns on him. Should he be?
Is Frank the thing Nicole takes from Bobby? What does she know about Frank? Why doesn't she use Frank against Bobby the way she uses his mother? And why doesn't Nicole ever threaten Eames?
Comments: When I first saw Nicole Wallace/Elizabeth Hitchens/Leslie Eastman/the Evil One/Whatever she's calling herself, I thought she was a fascinating villain. Here was this beautiful, intelligent, small, delicate looking blonde woman who dressed in white and could joust effectively and murderously with our hero. Oliva D'Abo's physical presence contrasted wonderfully with Vincent D'Onofrio's large size and dark coloring--and compared unsettlingly with Kathryn Erbe's small stature and blonde looks--and Ms. D'Abo's splendid acting was a more than worthy match with Mr. D'Onofrio. Nicole was a wonderful creation, a Moriarty to match Goren's Sherlock Holmes. Her evil defined his goodness; her strengths revealed his weaknesses.
But Sir Arthur Conan Doyle knew not to-- or at least didn't--bring his villain back from the dead. While Ms. D'Abo's performance remained excellent, Nicole's returns brought diminishing returns. Her continued escapes from the police were increasingly contrived, and her attack on Bobby was a one note weapon using his mother.
And then, just when I thought nothing more could be done with Nicole's character, came this episode. Yes, there are problems with it. There are plot holes you can drive a truck through. Why does Nicole appear to love Evan and want to marry him when she knows he's trying to kill Gwen? Even without the extradition to Australia, aren't her crimes in the US enough to get her in jail? But I'm willing to forgive these points in the face of the way this story forces me to reconsider Nicole's character and the terrific way the story shows how a seemingly evil person can do a good thing. It's one of those messy moral quandries LOCI does so well. I love the brutal, brilliantly written and acted scenes where Bobby strips away Nicole's illusions and defenses.
GROW reveals that Bobby Goren has grown. With Eames' help, he's prepared for Nicole's attacks and shakes them off. He doesn't jump to conclusions, but listens to Eames' gentle warnings. He listens to Eames when she expresses concern that he may be going after Nicole as revenge; Eames also listens to Goren later when she fears he may be going easy on Nicole.
Nicole grows some, but not as much as Bobby. After Bobby forces her to look at herself, she does recognizes she's a threat to Gwen and does the right thing. But Nicole can't grow beyond this, and she retreats. She blames Bobby for her own failures and threatens him.
GROW, I think, marks the end of the intellectual dual between Bobby and Nicole, and Bobby has won. Nicole can't hurt him any more, and he's mortally wounded her. Her only remaining weapon is a physical threat against those Bobby loves.
Submitted for your comments and consideration.
Patcat
) this is one of the rare LOCI episodes that doesn't improve with repeated viewings. I don't hate it, it just doesn't "grow" on me. Sorry.. 
I guess because the whole "grow" thing felt contrived and pushed and rushed. To me, Bobby is deeper, and his issues are more complex than, "Oh, I get it, she is baiting me with my mother. I'm over that now! HA! She can't pull that on me again. Good thing I figured that out!" It just doesn't do the character justice. It once again moves him from tragic hero to typical TV cop.
)
