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Post by Patcat on Jan 29, 2010 11:24:19 GMT -5
Will air January 31 at 8pm(EST) and February 1 at 12am(EST) on the Bravo Network. Will air February 6 at 6am(EST) on USA. First aired November 9, 2003. Seventh episode of the Third season.
Written by Diana Son and Rene Balcer. Directed by Steve Shill.
Synopsis: Goren and Bishop investigate the apparent murder of a woman, whose husband may be guilty of horrible crimes.
Guest Actors: Thomas G. Waites as Lance Brody (Mr. Waites is frequent guest actor on L&O shows and a respected acting teacher in New York.) Maria Thayer as Claire Brody
Quotes: Rodgers (after Bishop makes a point): "Score one for the new kid."
Eames (to Bishop): "Sure. You can carry me up the stairs."
Goren(looking at a model boat): "Something's broken off the tip. Maybe a flag." Bishop: "We're going to look for it, aren't we?"
Bishop: "He killed her over a toy boat?" Goren: "Yea, men get attached to toys."
Brody: "You make the truth sound like a lie."
Queries:
There was much discussion about whether Brody thought Goren was Jewish. Did he? We now know that Goren's biological father was Mark Brady, who I don't believe was Jewish, but is it possible that the man Goren thought was his father was Jewish? And does any of this make any difference?
Was this plan the only option for Brody's wife? How good of a plan is it? After all, if the case hadn't come to the attention of a bright cop like Goren, it might have been judged a suicide.
Did Brody abuse his wife?
Did Brody's anti-Semitism come only from what happened to his mother? Why didn't he attack men who reminded him of his father rather than the man his mother had an affair with?
Does Brody have a case for insanity or diminished capacity?
Is Brody's sister anti-Semitic?
What will happen to Claire?
What is the state of Bishop and Goren's working relationship at this point?
Was Goren out of control when he swung that pipe? Would Brody have a case for police brutality? How does Bishop react? Would Eames have reacted differently?
Comments: Another LOCI episode I find I like the more that I see it. Lance Brody may not be a particularly smart killer, but he certainly has some of the more complicated motives. Thomas Waites is excellent as Brody. While not hiding the terrible hate that fuels the man, Waites manages to, if not make Brody sympathetic, show how he became what he is.
Submitted for your comments and consideration, as always.
Patcat
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Post by Techguy on Jan 29, 2010 17:18:19 GMT -5
There was much discussion about whether Brody thought Goren was Jewish. Did he? We now know that Goren's biological father was Mark Brady, who I don't believe was Jewish, but is it possible that the man Goren thought was his father was Jewish? And does any of this make any difference? It's possible Goren Sr. was Jewish but I don't think that made any difference to Robert. His moral compass is so strongly pointed in the direction of equality and justice that bigotry of any kind would rouse his emotional involvement and inform his behavior. Therefore, I believe his reaction to Brody would have been just as strong if Brody targeted another religious or minority group.Was this plan the only option for Brody's wife? How good of a plan is it? After all, if the case hadn't come to the attention of a bright cop like Goren, it might have been judged a suicide. I commented about this on the original episode thread, and still have a difficult time accepting Lena Brody's suicide as an option. Others commented at the time that Lena intended her act as a message toward her husband, but that doesn't resonate with me either. How effective can a message from a dead woman be to a bigot like Brody, especially if he escaped justice for his previous murders? My main concern then, and still is, what he would do to Claire if he ever found out the truth about her Jewish heritage.Did Brody abuse his wife? Not physically but emotionally and psychologically because even though he wasn't aware of her Jewish heritage, his murderous bigotry obviously informed her decision to kill herself. This plot detail might make for a more dramatic case and investigation, but it strikes me as stretching credibilty too much.Did Brody's anti-Semitism come only from what happened to his mother? Why didn't he attack men who reminded him of his father rather than the man his mother had an affair with? I believe Brody harbored anti-Semitic tendencies before he was traumatized by what happened to his mother, which was the final straw that unleashed his hatred. That is why I believe he targeted men who reminded him of his Jewish mother's lover rather than men who were like his father.Does Brody have a case for insanity or diminished capacity? The murders were hate crimes and committed with premeditation and planning. I believe these aggravating circumstances will nullify and argue against an insanity defense or a lesser sentence for murder due to diminished capacity.What will happen to Claire? For all intents and purposes, Claire is now an "orphan" having lost both her parents. Based on what she witnessed and discovered during Goren's confrontation with her father, Claire will seek to re-connect with her mother's side of the family, and also seek counseling to help her cope with her losses.Was Goren out of control when he swung that pipe? Would Brody have a case for police brutality? How does Bishop react? Would Eames have reacted differently? Goren was full of anger and righteous indignation at Brody but wasn't out of control when he swung the pipe. His words and actions were deliberately aimed at Brody to deflate his sense of self-importance and superiority, and give Brody a sense of what it is like to be confronted by an angry man with a pipe, to let him know what his victims must have felt when Brody confronted them. I don't believe there is a case for police brutality here; Goren never touched him, and I'm sure Bishop will support Goren, as would Eames if she was his partner on the case. Brody doesn't have a leg to stand on--no pun intended--if he's tempted to go that route. He's so consumed by his hate and rage, he'll come across as guilty as charged if he tries to implicate Goren in any way.
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Post by Patcat on Feb 2, 2010 13:32:48 GMT -5
This episode was also on last night as part of MyNetwork's rerunning of LOCI. Another question came to me--Did Brody's wife have any idea what sort of a man she was marrying? Did he show any signs of anti-Semitism early in their relationship?
Patcat
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Post by Techguy on Feb 2, 2010 16:11:27 GMT -5
Patcat, I'm still not clear as to how long Lena knew about her Jewish heritage. If she didn't know before her marriage and only found out later, perhaps her husband's anti-Semitic tendencies didn't resonate with her to give her a clue as to the kind of man she was marrying. It's possible she became aware of, or at least more sensitive to, his anti-Semitism after she discovered her family's roots, only to be reinforced when she subsequently found out about the murders he committed.
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Post by maherjunkie on Feb 6, 2010 11:18:35 GMT -5
I agree it was a gradual thing.
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dimarec
Silver Shield Investigator
Posts: 111
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Post by dimarec on Mar 1, 2011 12:46:33 GMT -5
Well, this episode is the reason I did not become a LOCI fan earlier. A few years ago I saw the last half hour of it. This episode is too poignant: Goren (=policeman) menace with the lead pipe, the cold blooded killing, and the racism are pretty intense. When I saw it for the first time I decided not to watch LOCI because it was not "entertainment" but some kind of self inflicted torture. Yesterday I saw the episode again, and so I got my share of nightmares. Bottom line this episode is very good and too intense. A LOCI fan can understand it, but someone that is not used to the show might find it intimidating. In this episode Detv Goren is violent while Detv Bishop does not stop this madness. I find this creepy. (That would not happen if Detv Eames was his partner, she has enough guts and trust to keep Goren from madness). Detv Goren needs Eames as his partner, no matter who is his sweetheart. Like Sherlock needs Watson. On the other hand Detv Bishop is witty in this episode and I find that there is some chemistry ("sexual tension") between these two: when Goren looks at the missing boat flag, when they talk he tends to bring her closer, they even bump in one of the scenes and does he draw her closer?. I do like Eames appearances in this episode.
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Post by jeffan on Mar 1, 2011 12:56:16 GMT -5
This is a brilliant episode - unnerving but very watchable. If Season Ten is of this quality drama, I'll be jostling for first place in the victory lap!
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Post by skittles4me on Mar 2, 2011 10:18:20 GMT -5
Dimarec and Jeffan sum up this ep very well! This IS very intense and the lead pipe scene is hard to watch. I also feel heartsick for the daughter. I really don't care for the Bishop episodes so I haven't watched them as much as the others, but I think this is the one in which Bishop is going to accompany Eames to the D.A.'s office and then just blows her off without a word to follow Goren. Alex looks like she feels so left out and I feel bad for her. In the Bishop eps, I feel like Goren is always comparing her to Eames and that she can never quite measure up. However, they do become more relaxed with each other the longer they are together. Never noticed any Bobby/Bishop "tension", but you know I'm biased! Next time I'll try looking for it with "neutral eyes".
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kacesq
Silver Shield Investigator
Posts: 194
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Post by kacesq on Mar 2, 2011 11:35:34 GMT -5
In the Bishop eps, I feel like Goren is always comparing her to Eames and that she can never quite measure up. However, they do become more relaxed with each other the longer they are together. Never noticed any Bobby/Bishop "tension", but you know I'm biased! Next time I'll try looking for it with "neutral eyes". Well, Bishop can never quite measure up to Eames. Who could? I'm not a huge fan of this eppy, I find it painful to watch for reasons noted above by Jeffan and dimarec. I've never noticed any tension between Goren/Bishop, and the fact that he reenacts the perp pushing the victim off the balcony in F.P.S. using Bishop makes me think he was never really okay with Bishop as his partner. No way would he have pulled that stunt with Eames. That being said, Strays is one of my alltime fave CI episodes even though it was a Bishop eppy. I think that's the best of the Goren/Bishop episodes, personally.
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Post by Techguy on Mar 2, 2011 16:43:02 GMT -5
This episode is flawed IMO for reasons I already posted on this and the original episode thread. However, Goren's behavior highlights what I want to see return in Season 10--a strong, vibrant detective with moral compass intact who won't hesitate to express righteous indignation when appropriate.
BTW, I bumped the original thread so new viewers/posters can reference comments made when the episode first aired.
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Post by Moonbeam on Mar 2, 2011 19:35:24 GMT -5
I've always had trouble with Lena's suicide. As a mother, I can't begin to imagine leaving a child behind knowing/hoping the father would end up in prison. Pretty selfish not considering her own daughter's wellfare after the fact. I would have called the cops then gone into hiding.
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Post by Patcat on Mar 2, 2011 21:52:51 GMT -5
But how old is Lena? I had the impression she was over 21, and that her mother had helped ger out of the house. I think the Mom did all she could to help her daughter.
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Post by Moonbeam on Mar 3, 2011 9:18:52 GMT -5
Did you mean how old was Claire? Even if she is grown and out of the house, the prospect of her father going to prison should be reason enough for her mother to be there for her.
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Post by Patcat on Mar 3, 2011 10:36:49 GMT -5
Yes, of course. Claire.
I can only think that Lena was too ashamed and afraid of her husband to contemplate trying to be around. It does seem that there should've been some other option for her. There's no evidence that Lance was an abusive husband.
Patcat
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Post by Patcat on Mar 3, 2011 10:40:46 GMT -5
Oh, another thought. Lena intended for her suicide to be viewed as a murder committed by Lance. Lena may have been too consumed with revenge to think of Claire.
Patcat
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