Episode 36
Strangled (02-03-03)
Brief Synopsis: The morgue staff
goes back in time to solve a 1964 homicide, which occurred during the Boston
Strangler's spree.
So…an interesting concept. I always
love ‘time travel’ themed episodes. History is fascinating, and they did a
fairly interesting job of it with this episode. We start the episode gathered
at Max’s restaurant/bar where the gang pulls out a previously unsolved case to
try and solve.
Each present day character takes on a
role from the past (bear with me if I misspelled names, I couldn’t find
reference anywhere so I went off of what I heard and how I think they’re
spelled)
Jordan – Dr. Joyce Quinn (medical
examiner)
Garret – Dr. Malone (head coroner)
Bug – Dr. Morehouse (scientist)
Nigel – Simon (dishwasher)
Lily – Annabel Costa (psychic)
Woody – Detective Jimmy Moran
We get an interesting moment with Nigel
and Bug. Nigel’s disgusted that once again he’s the killer (or so it seems at
first) and is ready to stalk out. Bug taunts him and they have words,
definitely some tension there.
Interesting twist with Det. Moran and
Joyce sleeping together, the writers managed to get Jordan and Woody together
for an episode, without really getting them together. We’ve always seen Woody
in a ‘good light’. It was fun seeing him play the dark/cunning side. On that
note…
I figured it was Moran/Woody doing the
killing when he showed up at Joyce’s/Jordan’s place. Maybe it was just me, but
Moran showing up at Joyce’s was totally out of the blue. At no point earlier in
the episode do we get a clue that the two have a thing for each other (in fact
Moran is even a little derogatory toward Joyce with a comment he makes in the
beginning (see quotes.)) It just set warning bells off in my head. It screamed
ALIBI. (especially when he stayed the ENTIRE night, with a wife waiting at
home). Then Jordan gets a call in the morning, someone’s died…and oh, it’s in
the same apartment complex that Moran lives in! Why don’t you just paint it on
the wall—“Moran’s Guilty”. They could have handled/written that better.
Annabel/Lily was great. Eccentric
psychic. Loved the spiel about Jujubes and red licorice. However…would Moran
really have dumped his shirt in the ally? A detective on the police force…why
not burn it or toss it in a dump (far away from the crime scene), but leave it
relatively right at the crime scene. And why didn’t the police search the ally
(the surrounding area)?
And of course it’s modern
science/technology that solves the crime in the end. No big surprise there.
We started the show out with Jordan and
Woody together trying to ‘talk’ about the kiss. Jordan sidesteps the issue
inviting Woody to her father’s bar. Then at the end Jordan kicks her father
out, leaving her with Woody, but before she can push Woody away (with some
excuse, reason or something) Woody pulls her over to the jukebox. He turns it
on and out comes the song Devil or Angel (appropriate song if you listen to the
lyrics – he can’t figure out which of the two Jordan is. Poor Woody – he’s on a
long path full of confusion when it comes to Jordan) He then dances with
Jordan…once again ‘dancing’ around the issues at hand. (Literally and mentally).
It was a satisfying and clever ending.
Random Comments:
- Jordan in a dress (or skirt) who’d have thought. She
looked very 60s-ish. The hair styles-all I can say is thank God that was before
my time.
-
Loved the tape recorder during the interrogation of
Simon (Nigel). And Nigel with white hair! So wrong.
- Loved the black & white TV in Det. Moran’s office.
- Did you get a load of those latex gloves???
3 out of 5 Dead Bodies, for an
entertaining story line (with a few kinks), and getting Woody and Jordan
together (even if it was as different characters)
Lara's Review -
Strangled
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