The team wrap up a missing person’s case. There’s an empty place at Jack’s deposition. Bernard Scoggins (Scott Cohen) is Maria’s (Talia Balsam) lawyer. Jack tells him the move would be difficult for his daughters because their school, friends, grandfather and he is here. He doesn’t want to deny Maria access as they should see both parents. If she lived here they could share custody. He says they both took them to school. School records show he took them about 9 times in a year so that’s less than once a month. Scoggins mentions March 13th 2004 when he arrived late to pick them up. They thought he may have been shot. He tells the teacher he hasn’t read Hannah’s (Vanessa Marano) creative writing where she wants to spend more time with her father. He was late because he was conducting an interview. Jack calls it a mistake that won’t happen again.
Danny (Enrique Murciano) asks Sam (Poppy Montgomery) what Jack will do if he loses? And adds Maria’s lawyer is a “scumbag” cos of the things he asked him. Sam says he was only doing his job. Martin (Eric Close) says he was digging for dirt and asked about the Spaulding case and if it affected Jack. He replied it affected all of them. Fancy asking Sam what jack will do, it's not like they're still together and Martin won't like that! Ha.
The phone rings and they all look at it. It’s Jack’s father who’s here. Viv (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) reminds him they met at Jack’s 40th. He’s brought bourbon. He tells Sam he likes her hair. He likes blondes and so does Jack. Martin looks at her...
Scoggins asks Jack about his affair which began in August 2001. It lasted 5 months. Jack worked 60 hours a week. He stayed at Sam’s sometimes and told Maria he was working. Flashback to Jack and Sam working on a crossword puzzle together on her bed. He asks for a place beginning with ‘B’: Baraboo. She went there in the 8th grade and smoked pot. (Baraboo being in Wisconsin).
Jack says he’s not dating Sam and might date in the future. He’d hire a full time nanny; modify his hours and they’d be come his priority. They are important in his life. Maria arrives, her flight was delayed. Jack’s lawyer says his client may get a migraine and refuse to continue. Jack wants to get it over and done with now.
Scoggins mentions April 2003 and the Delia Rivers case. (season 1.18 The Source) She was murdered by Katan who threatened his family. Maria tells him she explained her reasons for this but he didn’t listen. Jack’s father looks at his granddaughters’ photo and says Jack is a good father; he does a tough job.
Jack worked 12 years on missing persons. The Spaulding case concerned the kidnapping of Andy Deaver Spaulding was a serial killer who preyed on children. (season 1 episode 5 Suspicion) Scoggins mentions Kate’s (Laura Marano) 7th birthday and the camcorder Jack dropped when he saw Hannah with a man in the park. He was a parent of one of her friends. Jack knocked him down. They laugh about it now. He arrested Spaulding on September 24 and September 27 was her birthday. He asks him about Jack’s attempted suicide when he ran his car into a pole. That was 20 years ago. His mother killed herself. Jack tells him there is no history of mental illness in his family and he didn’t try to kill himself.
Jack’s lawyer tells him if it’s a specious claim then they can say it’s harassment and use it against him.
Jack joined the army at 18 and served for 6 years. His father wanted him to join. He went to college a year later and moved back home. The rent was cheap. He never dated, travelled but watched TV at home. He was alone in the house when his mother killed herself . Jack says he fell asleep at the wheel 10 years ago. He hadn’t been been drinking. Scoggins says he told Maria years later he drove his car into a pole on purpose. Jack denies this and says he’ll have a hard time proving this. Maria leaves the room. Sam apologizes to her. Maria tells her what she says is worth nothing.
Danny wonders where the snow is as he puts the star on the tree. His father, Frank (Martin Landau) tells him Jack’s in his own world and blames him for his mother’s death. He did what he could and perhaps the army might help him.
Jack has a Masters in Psychology and took courses in college. Maria returns. His mother suffered from bipolar disorder. Scoggins asks if his relationship with his mother had an affect on his parenting. It was difficult growing up with his mother but he was happy and loved her. She turned to him when his parents fought. Jack was her confidante. He kept secrets from his father for her and caught her trying to kill herself. He promised not to tell his father and she promised not to try again. Jack says she wasn’t well. She tried again 3 months later. His father was in the Philippines. He was 16. 10 years later he came back to the same house. It was a cry for help. Scoggins says everyone leaves Jack so he had an affair and left Maria first. Jack loses his temper and throws his chair out of the window. Maria says that wasn’t an accident.
Maria calls him a part time husband. This whole thing was about Jack.
At the office party Sam tells Martin she’s happy. Jack’s father falls asleep in his office. He doesn’t know why he’s here. His lawyer’s asked for a redirect so he can question Jack himself: he has to show he can control himself and explain why he broke the window. Jack has a flashback to when Hannah was born. She’s named after his grandmother. Jack tells his own father he doesn’t know how to be a father. He has to do what’s best for them.
Jack talks to Maria alone. Everything Scoggins talked about is why she left him. He gives her custody of his daughters. She tells him they need a father and they have to work this out.
The others play cards. The party’s over and they were waiting for Jack. He says it’s snowing. Jack wakes up his father. They’re having Chinese for dinner.
Viv: “I really like the look of this.” I.e. the whiteboard empty. As if to imply no one goes missing at Christmas or even weekends. On the contrary, this would be the part of the year when more people would go missing because they can’t cope. As they do in the UK. Also weekends see season 2 episodes when Martin’s aunt went missing at the weekend and the office was practically empty!
Martin: “That tree could use some love.” I.e their bare tree as opposed to Jack’s empty apartment = no tree.
Danny: “Speak now or forever hold your peace.” She hands in their final case file before Christmas.
Martin: “Hopefully we can make it through the day.” Ugh! Again no one’s missing.
Jack: “expecting someone else?” Yes we know who. Jack’s full name: John Michael Malone. The
As if by magic, the phone rings. Martin: “Say it isn’t so.”
Martin watches Sam everytime Jack’s name is mentioned to something about her. Insecure much?
Sam: “What are we doing Jack?”
Jack: “Listening to rain. It’s nice. I don’t know.” We get another flashback to their supposed affair together. Whereas before it was only mentioned, we get a visual pic this time.
Sam: “honestly, I feel responsible for what’s going on with Jack.”
Martin: “Glad you told me.”
Jack’s not seeing Sam: “It’s in the past.”
Viv: “..especially when you take everything to heart – he keeps everything inside.”
Jack: “What’s the matter, can’t stand the smell of burning flesh?”
Maria: “We reap what we sow Jack.”
Jack: “We sure do.” Wonder if he regrets marrying her now or even going back to her. Or as my friends like to call her, "the shrew."
Danny being a star, gets to put the star on the tree.
Jack: “…never put you through what you put me through here.”
Maria: “This is about you.”
Jack: “This whole thing is wrong.” Maria was getting back at him for what he did to her – most likely for his affair rather than anything else.
Sam: “I’m happy. I mean You make me really, really happy.” Until …???
Frank:” No one does, you do what you can…we all make mistakes, we try to do what’s best for them.” This sways Jack.
Jack:”What you did to me today was unforgivable but you made your point. I’m not equipped for the job, I never was. Girls belong with you. Please just leave.” So he took Viv’s promotion away for nothing in the end really with hindsight. But with foresight can say it was just as well since Viv’s not well. It was always about Jack and we knew that from season 2; the moment she got her promotion, had this feeling she didn’t want it anymore, well at least my sister did.
Maria can’t honestly be having a fling with that sleazy lawyer of hers, can she?
It would’ve been good to have that sleazy lawyer question all of the team at least in brief flashbacks when they spoke of him, i.e. when Danny brought it up. Perhaps on key issues. Such as Sam and Jack’s affair from her point of view and he could’ve implied Jack is nothing but a womanizer who preys on his female colleagues. Sam should’t have defended him, not after what he must have her made her go through. Yes he was doing his job, but for Maria. There was more going on there between the two of them than meets the eye.
Danny’s comment about the sleazy lawyer when he wants to become one too, but not a sleazy one. And Martins’ comment about lawyers in season 2.
We didn’t find out much about Jack again since we already knew what happened to his mother from season 2 episode 5 and also he was in the army from season 1 eps. Except for the car accident in which he tried to kill himself or allegedly. It was wrong of Maria to dredge up all these painful memories for Jack and he was right it was wrong. No amount of exacting revenge could be justified by things he told her in confidence. She should be ashamed! Probably one of his daughters may go missing in a future episode, i.e run away from home and if that happens, it’ll probably be Hannah. (See episode 11.)
Danny: “We were waiting for you.” At the end they all wanted to ask what happened or how it went but didn’t. Jack comments it’s snowing when he walks into the room with the others. He makes his usual comment about the snow just as he did in season 1 episode Between The Cracks, with the missing model and season 2 episode 18 Legacy, the episode with Danny’s brother.
So no one went missing at Christmas, hard to believe since it’s the one time of the year when people do go missing re being alone, depressed etc when everyone else is happy.
Martin and Jack saying they were going for Chinese. Where exactly and who was this Chinese? Sorry bad joke.
How long will Martin and Sam’s happiness last? No long.
Music: John Lennon So This Is Christmas
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