EPISODE OF THE WEEK: LEGION

[Patcat]

Now, we return to our regularly scheduled EOTW (g)

Will air on the Bravo Cable Network, February 15 at 9 pm (EST) and February 16 at 1 am (EST). Originally aired April 6, 2003. 18th episode of Season 2.

Written by Theresa Rebeck and Rene Balcer
Directed by Steve Shill and Frank Prinzi

The investigation of the murders of a father and son uncovers a gang of young bicycle thieves led by a charismatic man.

Guest Actors:

Paul Calderon as JoJo Rios
Andres Munar as Frankie Marino
Brian Adam DeJesus as Benny Renardo

Quotes:

Goren (playing with the keyboard): "Ooh, I like that."

JoJo: "Kids are like sponges."

Eames: "Honest people, every last one of them. You can tell because they're such bad liars."

Eames: "In this neighborhood, the neighborhood watches the cops."

Deakins: "What's missing is war paint and a bonfire."

Goren: "I can see Frankie's mom has kept her youthful looks."

Goren: "My Dad came home at night...I could smell them on him."

Carver: "I wasn't aware that Marcus Aurelius was an advocate of suicide."
Goren: "Well, he wasn't. But like any belief system, in the wrong hands, Stoicism, can be twisted to mean whatever you want."

Goren: "It's time to round up some Legionaires."

Deakins: "Well, it's nice to see kids studying the classics."

Goren: "JoJo's a hero. How do you figure that? He's a sound engineer."

Teacher: "Sami was one of our small victories."

Goren (to Benny): "But you...You're true...You're strong."

Goren (on the kids' need for a role model): "They could do worse than Sami's dad."

Comments and queries:

It's LOCI meets LORD OF THE FLIES. Or OLIVER TWIST.

Does JoJo view the kids as junk? Has any kid ever escaped him? What happens to kids as they get older? How long has JoJo been terrorizing the neighborhood? Why just bicycles? Could JoJo have been a hero? What will happen to the neighborhood now that JoJo is gone?

Does Goren's background help him with this case?

Are Goren and Eames responsible in any way for Frankie's death? Will they face an investigation?

Will Benny be saved?

Does Goren see himself in these kids? Did he, for better I hope, have a JoJo like figure in his life?

I can see Frankie, with his horrible uncaring father, falling prey to JoJo. But some of the other kids seem to come from stable, loving homes. What about them?

How did JoJo establish such a hold over the neighborhood? Why didn't some of the families just move?

Does this case affect Goren more than others?

Sami and his Dad's deaths--how horrible.

It likely speaks of the high quality of the second season of LOCI that this episode seems a bit lost in the list of great stories. But it has all the elements of classic LOCI:

A charismatic, interesting villain with complicated motives and background.
Snark from Eames AND Deakins.
Fine performances from everyone, especially from the young actor playing Benny.
Excellent use of the New York City locations. (Were they shooting on one of the coldest days of the year?)
References to Goren's past.
Even the site of Goren and Eames in their knit caps, which I find both cute and goofy.

Finally, how many TV shows can use Stoicism and Marcus Aurelius as the cornerstone of a plot? Smart, smart, smart.

Submitted for your comments and consideration.

Patcat

[DonnaJo]

Patcat, I also never understood how scrawny JoJo terrorized an entire neighborhood. He seemed alone, no hooks, no backup from the mob. Just some kids to help him. As a parent, I was especially perturbed by the couple who lied & told Goren & Eames that their son moved to "Gullah Gullah Island." When exposed by Goren, they just closed up. I mean, this man murdered your child, and all you care about is your own safety? Grrr.....

Goren is perfect in this episode. He's playful, he dances, he laughs. He's also sweetly empathetic with, and then outraged by, the suicide/death of young Frankie.

And yes, Patcat, both he and Eames are adorable in their winter caps. And might I add that Season 2 VDO looks great.

[Moonbeam]

I noticed something while watching "Legion" last night. While they're in the hospital talking to Carver about Frankie, the blue/green painting hanging behind Carver & Goren is the same painting in Sylvia Moon's studio.

[maherjunkie]

I never understood why they pretended to record JoJo when they already had the two way microphone. He had already opened up.

[caitlen]

Feb 16, 2009 11:29:13 GMT -5 maherjunkie said:

I never understood why they pretended to record JoJo when they already had the two way microphone. He had already opened up.

Ah, Bobby at his best, playing mind games, i loved that epi, pure CI at 100%

[leanonme]

Patcat, great summary. Thanks for all the quotes! Thanks for the comments everyone!

When I think of JoJo's hold on the kids, it reminds me of Monster. Remember the kid that confessed to the rape he didn't commit?
Bobby did a great job of describing why the kid confessed. It seems to me the same type mentality applies here. The kids are looking for some kind of approval. They have some deep need and Jojo is meeting it. Kind of like the Whoopi Goldberg character. Of course, it doesn't say much for the parents of the kids...but it doesn't shock me, and it has a ring of truth. They were basically a gang.

Oh the hats... what to say about the hats... ;D When I see them in those hats, I think it must be pretty damn cold for them to wear those! Really, it has to be very cold, and I have to be outside for a long time to wear any hat, but you know, some of us are superficial like that! LOL They are cute.

Great Goren. You make a good point that it really speaks to the quality of season 2 that this just kind of fades right into the rest.
I agree, I think Goren looks his best ( and is his best) in this season.

Does this case affect Goren more than others??? Hmmm... I would be interested in hearing what others say about that. I might have to check the episode out tonight and see.

[outerbankschick]

What always stands out for me in this episode is the way Bobby goes after Benny in the end to assure him that he's not stupid, and that JoJo is the one at fault for twisting him. He makes sure to differentiate between the lessons of loyalty that JoJo taught them, and the "battle" that JoJo sent them on that wasn't a good one.

[tjara]

As I had both Latin and Ancient Greek in school, I was surprised, entertained, amused - and a little disappointed all at once. It's a interesting idea to take the philosophy of Marc Aurel and have the villian indoctrinate his followers with it. Marc Aurel's philosophy was all about decency, loyality, honesty, duty... and many more things that actually carried over into what are called "Christian" values today. Goren's statement about Stoicism is chilling but true and probably could be applied to most religions as well. I do think however, that the episode failed to grab the essence of Marc Aurel's philosophy and explain it to the viewer. Someone who's unfamiliar with Ancient philosophies will probably not understand. And I really chuckled about Gorens comment on Roman Legions "taking over Europe" or something similar. Marc Aurel reigned from 161 BC - 190ish BC and if anything, he was trying to hold the empire together. At that time, the Roman Empire was already falling apart.

Does JoJo view the kids as junk? Has any kid ever escaped him? What happens to kids as they get older? How long has JoJo been terrorizing the neighborhood? Why just bicycles? Could JoJo have been a hero? What will happen to the neighborhood now that JoJo is gone?

I don't think he's been doing that very long - I think Frankie was one of his first "projects".

I think they picked bicycles cause that's something that kids could easily steal, and it's somthing easy to sell and hard to trace.

If JoJo had really taken care of the kids, providing them a safe haven - yes, certainly he could've been what we commonly call a "everyday hero".

I think now that JoJo is gone there sooner or later will be another JoJo. In it's essence, this ep is about how someone can twist your sense of right and wrong, and before long there will be someone else to twist the minds of the youngsters.

Does Goren's background help him with this case?

Well, I think he grew up in a similiar neighbourhood, so I'd say yes.

Are Goren and Eames responsible in any way for Frankie's death? Will they face an investigation?

This is a tough question. You can see Frankie take the pills when he first encouters them at their dad's door, so really they couldn't have acted differently to prevent him from taking the pills. I would think though that both Goren and Eames feel responsible, not matter what the facts are.

Will Benny be saved?

Yes he will. He learned the hard way what happens when your beliefs are shattered, but he'll be okay in the end. He did undertstand when Goren told him that it was JoJo's fault.

Does Goren see himself in these kids? Did he, for better I hope, have a JoJo like figure in his life?

I think he had a mentor or more than one in his younger years. Someone or a couple of people from his neighbourhood. Someone who was a kind of "father figure" for him. Someone who instilled values in him. (Though I'm still in the boat that believes that Frances left her "imprint" on him, too - and I mean that positively)

I can see Frankie, with his horrible uncaring father, falling prey to JoJo. But some of the other kids seem to come from stable, loving homes. What about them?

I think it's a clichè that it needs and unstable home to breed such cultures. Isn't that what makes indoctrination so dangerous - that basically anyone can be prey?

How did JoJo establish such a hold over the neighborhood? Why didn't some of the families just move?

Well, moving was out of the question for some of them due to their financial state, I guess. And JoJo demonstrated what he'd do with the people who objected. Their might have been more objectors at the beginning, but when JoJo started killing people, they went silent. They realized how dangerous he was.

Does this case affect Goren more than others?

Well, he's always very involved when there are children involved. Also, it's a little paradox, but Goren, a master "mindbender" himself, seems to be very angry with people who manipulate others.

[maherjunkie]

I don't expect TV to be too sharp on historical accuracy. As far as philosophy being twisted-Imagine how Jesus felt!

[tjara]

Oh, mj, I don't expect them to be historically correct either. As a historian I can't help but notice, but for real the comment just made me chuckle - in a good way. I do think though they should've expanded on Marc Aurels philosophy.

Oh, and as for twisted "philosophy" - Christian religion itselft has been twisted to be what it is now. I hope I'm not offending anyone, but in historical terms, the Bible is a rather "random" collection of sources. There are different documents that refer to Jesus that never made it into the bible and therefore aren't considered part of the Christian religion.

I do think this is besides the point, though. The important point is that a set of beliefs can be twisted and misused, no matter how good the intetions behind it are.

[maherjunkie]

That's what I've been saying for years!