Episode 97
Thin Ice (04-16-06)
Brief Synopsis:
Lu and Jordan work on a case where a baseball player is accused of raping a
woman.
Okay! Time for my thoughts. I have to admit that at
first I wasn’t sure what I thought of the episode. It
had so much of the ‘classic’ CJ that I love and yet it
still was an episode that is a ‘piece of the whole’. As
I started writing I realized I actually quite enjoyed
it.
I
liked the rape case story (I’ll explain why in a moment)
and while Nigel and Bug’s story required a very large
suspension of reality, I found their interaction the
more important part of the story and hence was able to
look beyond the fighter pilot plot.
So
let’s get started. I know a lot of people felt the ‘A’
plot was a ‘ripped from the headlines’ case and
unoriginal. And while I agree it was taken from recent
events (the Kobe fiasco) I think it was more original
than people are giving it credit for. What was so
different for me was the ‘human’ aspect. From the
moment we met Quentin I felt sympathetic towards him. I
honestly liked the guy. He was portrayed as a likable
character, who (in the end) had good morals.
People make mistakes. That doesn’t necessarily make
them bad. Quentin made a mistake in lying and covering
up what happened, but he felt remorse for his actions
and in the end made the decision to do the right thing,
despite the grief and heartache it was sure to cause
him. That’s a strong person—one who can stand up and do
what’s right.
Nigel and Bug and the Fighter Pilot…Okay
this required me to let go of reality a little too
much. The premises of a pilot being found, frozen, from
the 1950s I could deal with. Bug and Nigel taking a
trek out to Mount Washington…that was a bit far
fetched. (I must comment though, the art department did
a wonderful job. Beautiful set!) I can look past this
because I believe the focus of this episode was not
about the pilot, but about Nigel.
You don’t see Nigel get too emotional too often. He’s
normally the ‘happy’ family member (in reference to the
morgue family). Nigel doesn’t get ‘invested’ in cases
(typically), that’s Jordan’s job. This case however
hits close to home for Nigel—not in that they’re similar
situations, but in the fact that it brings his
relationship (or lack of) with his father out from the
closet he’s hidden his emotions in.
We
know Nigel has never had an easy relationship with his
father. He’s never lived up to his father’s
expectations. Then to top it off he’s learns—through
his brother—that his father has remarried and now has a
new son. What a blow that had to be. It must seem to
Nigel that his father has completely erased him from his
life. And tops it off by having another child…almost as
if it’s a second chance for him to ‘do it right’ this
time. He’s telling Nigel (without speaking) that he
sees Nigel as a failure. It’s eating Nigel up inside.
Bug’s advice, as hard as it was to take, might just be
the best advice. Can Nigel let go? Probably, but I bet
he’s still wondering if he should have tried more…if it
was the right decision…if maybe his father has changed…
Jordan:
That Jordan didn’t realize something was up with Woody
before all this tells you just how ‘preoccupied’ Jordan has
been lately. Jordan was pretty restrained all in all—no
huge reactions. I wasn’t too surprised with how she
handled the situation—by NOT dealing with it.
Ignore it and pretended it didn’t happen. Granted
she’ll have to deal with it, but for a few days she can
pretend. And Woody made it easy for her—she tells him
they don’t need to talk and he doesn’t push. Woody is
being a wimp. Sorry, but he should have dealt with this
long before Jordan ‘caught’ him and Lu. They need to
talk. No if and buts or maybes. Woody should be man
enough to have this discussion.
Jordan’s a believer. Her compassion for Shannon and her
unquestioning belief in Shannon is toughing. She
believed Shannon—no questions asked and despite
Shannon’s ‘issues’. (brief question: How many of you
believed Shannon? Or did you fall into the Lu camp on
this one? It's a great debate topic and a serious
issue in our society, but I'm not going to get into it
here.) Jordan gave Lu a few rough moments over the case
and not believing Shannon but otherwise tried to work
‘peacefully’ with Lu. I have to note that Jordan didn’t
act in any unbecoming, mean or jealous way towards Lu.
I give her credit for that.
Side Note: Jordan’s gift vs. Lu’s gift…which one knows
Woody better? Two ‘stress relieving’ gifts, yet one is
definitely ‘more’ Woody than the other.
Lu:
A few things on Lu. 1) Her guilt over not believing
Shannon. Lu’s not a bad person. And I believe she’s a
good cop. Tough, but fair. We’ve seen her handle
creeps harshly. We’ve seen her be compassionate and
understanding with suspects (Nate) to earn their trust.
We’ve seen her reserved and quiet with suspects. The
point is she knows how to deal with all types of
people. So the fact that she couldn’t deal with/believe
Shannon was surprising. I think we got another glimpse
into Lu’s ‘background’ here. When she says: “I just
have a tough time with people who unnecessarily put
themselves at risk. Especially women.” It set off
little alarm bells ringing in my head. I wonder what’s
behind that statement. Was she ever in that situation?
Someone she knows? A friend? A family member? Of all
the cases and people she’s dealt with this one was
obviously the most trying for her. Interesting isn’t
it?
2)
Lu feels guilty—on Woody’s behalf. Here she is the
‘other’ woman which she’s fine with. Except she
expected Woody to TELL Jordan about her rather than what
happened. It’s obvious she cares somewhat about how
Jordan feels. She tries to apologize on more than one
occasion. The action that proved her sincerity—about
feeling guilty and wanting to fix it was a moment in the
morgue. She’s about to enter the morgue but pauses,
takes a deep breath then enters and then tries to talk
Jordan (before Garret interrupts them).
3)
Giving Woody the riot act—he deserved that. She hit the
nail on the head (as they say). He’s “keeping his
options open”. He’s afraid to talk to Jordan—possibly
cause admitting he’s with Lu could spell the end of him
and Jordan (completely) and he’s not ready to give up on
them. If that’s the case then it’s time to break it off
with Lu. She’s a big girl she’ll understand…though at
this point she’s probably already figured it out.
Lily and Jeffery:
I’ve tried to like Jeffery. I went into it this season
thinking that he could be a great addition. I really
wanted him to work…but honestly the man drives me nuts.
I can not take his constant edginess (i.e. jumpiness) or
his weak personality. The man has no backbone. It’s
driving me nuts. (Yes I repeated
myself--purposely!) I want to go up to him and slap
some sense into his brain.
Maybe it is just me. I don’t like weak men. And to me
(as sweet as he may be) he comes across as being weak.
The fact that he CAN’T deal with Jordan—who did nothing
more than call him a coward—tame compared to some things
Jordan has been known to do—proves my point. The man is
a basket case. Jeffery is proving to be a weak and
whinny man—not a character you warm up to and learn to
like.
Lily pissed me off. She always fights for the sad and
grieving. I can handle that. However the last few
episodes she’s been much narrower minded in seeing
anything 'outside’ her spectrum of right/wrong. Then
she goes and snaps at Jordan. If she really listened
(assuming Jeffery told the morgue scene as it happened)
to Jeffery she would have been snapping at him telling
him he was the one being unreasonable. She’s lost her
objectiveness when it comes to Jeffery. I suppose I
shouldn’t be surprise since it happens to many people
when they are in a relationship. They become
(however unintentionally) much more narrow minded and
less lenient of other’s opinions and actions if they
counter their ‘partner’s’ thoughts.
Garret:
What happened to dark and moody Garret? Could he
possibly be coming to terms with his addiction, his
life, his friends… Did Jordan’s little rant last week
(the one about him being there for her just like she was
there for him) actually knock some sense into Garret?
Here’s to hoping this wasn’t a flashback to old times,
but the steps to a new Garret.
I
loved the ending scene. I miss the simplicity and
satisfaction of those scenes. It’s probably one of the
things I’ve missed most this season, but I think after
There’s No Place Like Home 2’s ending scene I knew (the
sixth sense kicking in) that there weren’t going to be
any more of those calm and easy moments for a while.
TNPLH2 ended on a ‘dark’ note and was the start of
everything that came there after. Hopefully this is the
beginning of a ‘lighter’ note and spells some happier
times ahead. (If not this season at least into next).
Overall good episode. A throwback to season 4’s
format. I quite enjoyed it. 4 out of 5 dead bodies.
