Episode 98
Mysterious Ways (04-23-06)
Brief Synopsis:
Jordan and Woody investigate the murder of a 'miracle worker'.
(Forewarning—this is quite long. It wasn’t my
intention; I just found I had much to say—obviously—on
this episode. Enjoy)
Okay A LOT happened in this
episode. There was some I liked, some I didn’t and some
stuff I found interesting. First off this was probably
my favorite of the three directing ventures of Miguel
Ferrer. The whole was 'fast pace' but each individual
scene felt well played out and complete. I liked that.
For the first time I didn’t feel like I was playing
catch up the entire episode. I had enough time to
digest each scene before the next hit me.
The first reaction I had when I watched
this episode was ‘Wow’. It left me with a lot to think
about. When I re-watched it I have to say it lost some
of the ‘wow’ factor. It had more of a 'punch' the first
go around. The third time I watched, it lost the ‘wow’
factor and became much more of an ordinary episode for
me (much like Loves Me Not. I couldn’t get over that
episode the first…oh I don’t know…10 times I watched it,
when my brain calmed down I was better able to break
things down.) That said I still enjoyed the episode on
many levels.
The A
case:
My opinion—slightly too easy and a bit of a
lackadaisical attitude towards the case from the morgue
staff. Ready for this? I’m about to poke wholes in the
entire case. So let’s start with the crime scene—the
crime scene was the entire church. So please explain to
me how they didn’t check the confessionals. Yes you can
say there was no reason, but I don’t buy it. I think it
was just being lazy on the morgue staff (that and the
writers needed a way to solve the plot—and solve it
feebly might I add). Then they come back a few days
later and the tissue is still there? And low and behold
the tissue happens to be the key to the case. Slightly
farfetched. It was a weak plot. And you knew the Dad
of the dead girl had to play some role. They don’t
normally bring characters into a plot for no reason (why
give them precious screen time if they’re not a part of
the story?)
That said I think the writers did just
that—brought in an unnecessary character. The
‘dead-then brought back to life-boy’ was a waste of
screen time (in my opinion). I get that he was there to
tell his story to get ‘us’ to believe in the story of a
‘miracle worker’ but here’s my opinion on the matter:
most of us are either going to be open to the
possibility or not. We don’t need to hear the boy’s
story. Then there’s the fact that he knew where she
lived but no one else did? That the PD couldn’t find
her address is silly. First off if Isabelle was a
member of the church she would have been in their
records including her address. I know for a fact (as I
just filled mine out) the Catholic Church does a census
each year to get a tally of how many members they have
and where they live.
Also on the boy, what was the point of
him overhearing Nigel? To make Nigel feel bad? Why?
What was the point of that scene? What did it add to
the episode? It’s like writing a novel. I might write
a scene I love, but if it doesn’t fit in, if it’s no
longer relevant to the
story—it doesn’t matter how well it’s written it’s got
to be cut.
The B
case:
I LOVED Bug and Amy. This was by far my favorite part
of the episode. It was a perfect case for Bug.
Pessimist that Bug is, he still wants the story to have
a happy ending for Amy. So even when it looks like her
father really hadn’t kicked his old habits, Bug still
searches for something to prove otherwise.
Jordan:
The ending scene was the strongest scene of this episode
and probably (when we look back on events) will be one
of the ‘biggest’ moments in the Jordan-Woody saga.
The issue has been laid out on the table
and Woody knows it now. He has not ‘grown’. He and
Jordan are on two completely different levels at the
moment. Can he climb up to the level Jordan is
currently occupying? Sure. And what’s better yet is
Jordan is giving him a chance. She didn’t say their
time had passed. She told them they were at different
points. There is still hope for the two.
Note: I'm not sure I really understood
the point of the Jordan-Woody-Lu kiss. I laughed when
it happened, but after the fact when I tried to find the
point...it just kind of eluded me. Cause it seemed
added just to be added and for a 'wow' effect rather
than a 'move the story' forward reason. (Could just be
me on this topic...but I don't think it was needed—then
again I felt there were quite a few scenes that could
have been cut to leave more room for the other
stories…with so much going on in this episode every
minute was precious.)
Nigel:
He's too funny. Where would we be without his
theories?
Bug:
Remember Death Toll? Where Bug talked about
change and how he was changing but found himself wanting
to go back to the old ‘Bug’. It’s amazing how much
Bug has grown. It seems we’ve missed this fact
with the events of Jordan, Garret and Lily overshadowing
him. I’ve absolutely loved Bug this season.
There’s been this inner strength and growth in him that
amazes me. Bug’s always been the quiet one who seems to go about
life doing what is right. He’s longed for Lily for
years and this season he sees Lily moving on. At first
he’s depressed, then he gets bold and expresses his
feelings, then he deals with them realizing that maybe
their time has passed and that’s just how life is
sometimes.
He accepts this fact and moves on. He’s
been much happier over the past few episodes. That
change—that he wasn’t sure he wanted to happen—has
happened and he’s embraced it (rather than trying to
cling to the old). It’s been a wonderful growth and it
allowed him to be open to the possibilities Amy brought
when she walked through the morgue door.
Bug and Amy—has a nice ring to it,
doesn’t it? I liked Amy instantly. I liked the easy
flow between her and Bug. Their interaction was fun
and oh so sweet. Amy liked Bug for one of
his best qualities—his kind-heartedness.
(Note: I want to see this played out, but
I’m not sure if it’ll be given a chance. I’m not too
keen of the idea of Lily running into the two of them on
a date. Bug needs to NOT be reminded up Lily every five
seconds—especially when he’s on a date. I want Bug to
have a chance with Amy. I think bringing Lily into the
picture can/will be Bug’s downfall. He’s embracing his
‘new’ change, but it’s very easy to fall back into old
ways if it’s right there tempting you.)
Lily:
It looks like the events of Death Toll are playing out
for a lot of our characters—Lily’s no exception. She
has a job she no longer likes. She has a life that
she’s not sure where it’s going. She has a boyfriend
she’s not sure she loves. She has a good friend she
knows could have been more. The girl is a mess.
Maybe
this explains her ‘on my high horse’ attitude of the
past couple episodes. Maybe that (attitude) was
her last attempt to make her job seem worth it. Or
MAYBE—it’s the reverse—it made her realize it’s not
that she’s ‘too’ good at her job—but that she’s no
longer putting her heart/passion into the job. The over
zealous attempts at fighting for the sad and grieving
was her last attempt at trying to find some feeling and
compassion. I’ll let you guys decided, which you think
it is.
And the look she gave Bug...sure
looks like she has doubts about her decision.
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Elaine: I liked her. She was outrageous. Many of us
would probably have gotten up and left the table saying
screw it, he’s not worth it. I don’t love him that
much. She was the ‘mama’ of mama’s boy. Stereotypical,
yes, but sometimes that’s just fine. It’s what made her
interesting and enjoyable to watch. Honestly, I wanted
to see Lily get grilled and then told she wasn’t good
enough. I wanted to see how Lily could handle her. She
didn’t let me down. I was glad Lily stood up to her
(unlike whimpering Jeffery).
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Garret: Got to give Garret credit in this episode. He
dealt well with Lily. First she hits him up with the
news that she’s quitting and he calmly asks her
questions and tries to get the reasoning behind her
decision. Then he asks her about Jeffery without making
any judgements—getting her to really think about how she
feels about him. I like having the old Garret back.
One quick side note on Lily quitting: Can
you say season 1...just another plot device...play with
our minds...I don't think she'll be gone for very long
if she even makes it to the 'quitting' stage.
Note:
Did anyone notice how the first image of
the interior of the church was on the prayer candle the
flame flickering at the bottom of the glass holder. And
when they show the reenactment of the murder they show
the father lighting that same candle only it's brand
new. I know it may seem insignificant but to me I loved
the continuity of it and the fact that they tied the two
images together.
So overall I enjoyed the episode. I
liked the ‘cram-pack-ness’ of the episode. In 42
minutes it sure dealt with a huge array of issues. 3 ½
out of 5 dead bodies.
