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Tuesday 13 November 2012

Without A Trace 3.16 "Manhunt" Review


Martin (Eric Close) and Sam (Poppy Montgomery) read papers on the steps of her apartment.  Martin comments the Knicks are playing Milwaukee on Wednesday night and they should go.  She says it’s a school night so there’ll be lots of people there and media coverage including a jumbotron.  Someone from the office may see them.  Martin asks what she’s afraid of, of what people might think, after all she’s been with two men from work now.  They argue and he goes for a run.  He sees a boy being taken by a man into a truck.  Then a woman shouts for somebody to stop the man from taking her son.  Martin gives chase on foot.

27 Minutes Missing

Martin gives the description of the man so a sketch can be made and notices Sam speaking with Jack  (Anthony LaPaglia).  He assumed they were a father and son.  He drove a green Nissan Pathfinder, a recent model.  Jack asks Martin what he’s doing here as he lives uptown?  He replies having coffee with a friend and he was going to run home.  Jack tells him to get the sketch to the media.

Danny(Enrique Murcian) questions Mrs Gerard (Grace Philips) Michael’s (Masam Holden) mother.  She dropped him off a block away since he was embarrassed to be seen with her.  She doesn’t recognize the sketch.  Danny tells her Michael knew the man.  Michael is 12 and had no problems with his father but he didn’t spend enough time with him.  The crossing guard tells Viv (Marianne jJan-Baptiste) she used to see him walk to the library with Michael and called him his uncle and just moved to New York.  Michael was lonely and didn’t have many friends.

73 Minutes Missing

Sam tells Martin the traffic camera shows the truck didn’t have a licence plate, so he’s either taken the plates off or it’s new and doesn’t have any yet.  Jack takes Martin to question the Gerard's.

The father, Paul (Patrick Cassidy) blames Martin for his son being missing.  Martin looks at Michaels’s room and finds model planes.  Jack tells them he’s been seeing the man since November and the man was nurturing a relationship with him.  His father moved out 7 months ago and was 2 hours late for his birthday.  Michael opened a present but it wasn’t from his father.  His father couldn’t spend the day with his son.  The present was a video game.  Tek Zero 3.

Danny finds 900,000 were sold in the US and there are new models, now up to 19.  There’re collectables and can only be found online.  Sam finds a new pathfinder on the Net a B stone 834 brought a game in December and the truck buyer is called Brian Stone (Dylan Baker).  He’s a teacher.  Danny says he doesn’t have a criminal record.  He came here from Oregon.

Martin and Jack search his apartment.  There are Video games and a TV.  Jack finds a photo of Michael and another boy inside the frame.  Martin finds his sweatshirt.

Jack tells his parents they met at the library and his father wants to know what they were doing at his house?  They don’t recognize the other boy.

Danny and Viv question the Principal of Harper Prep who tells them Brian no longer teaches there.  Danny asks if he left or was fired?  He didn’t like his teaching methods.  He found children at his home when he called around; Brian said he wanted to show them the movie of To Kill A Mockingbird so he fired him.

Martin finds Brian lived off his savings and has no other job.  Jack says that’s why he had so much time to spend at the library.  Martin asks why he abducted him?  He was divorced 18 months ago from Debra.  They have a son, Alan, 14.  She moved to Boston and is on a flight to Boston.  Sam tries to get her off the plane at Kennedy.

Jack and Martin check out the gas station where Brian was seen 15 minutes ago, Outside of Westchester.  The clerk thought they were father and son.  He saw the photo on TV and Brian took his gun.  He took a road map of New York State.  He dumped trash in the bin and took the clerk’s phone.

Sam tells Martin the phone’s off but one call was made to Directory assistance.  It’s not connected to the number but he’s heading north. As the call was routed from Putnam County call center.  Martin  thinks of resorts and amusements.  Jack finds a receipt in the trash.  He stopped off at a diner in Melrose 2 hours ago.

The waitress at the diner tells Danny and Viv she remembers them.  Alan’s (Wil Meyer) photo fell out of his wallet and Michael refused to return it until he told him who it was, Brian got angry.  Brian said, “it’s not safe.”  He told him the boy was his son and he doesn’t see him.  Michael thinks he’s Alan’s replacement as he’s called him Alan by mistake.  The waitress said they were fine after that.

6 Hours Missing

His ex-wife Deborah (Chelsea Field) spoke to him a year ago.  The photo of Michael reminds her of Alan.  Brian wasn’t abusing their son.  Alan died 2 years ago today.  They  were at a lakehouse in winter and Alan wanted to skate on the ice.  Brian told him “it’s not safe.”  Alan complained he didn’t let him watch video games or do anything.  Two hours later they found him.  Brian blamed himself.  The house is Upstate.

Martin tells Jack they’re at the lake.  Jack and Sam check it out but they’re not there.  Martin has a flashback and says he’s not going there.  He took the road map so changed his plan.  Danny says there were 2,058  411 calls to Directory assistance and thinks perhaps the argument at the diner made him change his plans.  Martin says he’s going to do what Michael wants to do.

Michael’s father apologizes to Martin.  He wanted to go to the model plane museum for his birthday.  One call on 411 was to the Model plane museum in New York.  Danny says state troopers have found a pathfinder on US 20 heading west.  The phone is still off.

Martin wants to talk with Brian, he’s unarmed and gets into the truck.  Brian won’t put the gun away.  He recalls Martin coming after them.  Martin knows about Alan and tells him people will understand what he’s been through and Michael’s parents want their son back too.  Brain cares about him so he should let him go.  Martin says “it’s not safe.”  Martin radios to say Michael’s coming out.  Brain wanted to take him to the museum and tells him his father loves him, “whatever happens here” he should remember that.  Michael refuses to leave and asks what he means by that.  Martin tells him Brian will surrender.  He asks for the gun.  Michael tells him to give it to him.  Brian says he wants to be with his son and the gun goes off.  He gets shot.

Martin thanks Jack for letting him pursue the case.  He tells Martin it was risky getting into the truck.  Martin says it wasn’t by the rules but it’s been done before.  Jack tells him he knows about him and Sam and wishes him luck.  Martin watches Sam at work before leaving.

Sam’s so worried about what everyone will think and see at the office, more like she’s worried about Jack’s feelings, which is silly.  It’s not surprising the whole place doesn’t know by now with the looks that have been passing between the two.  It’s so obvious.  So here they have their first argument and things are never going to be the same again.  There’s thousands at the game and she’s positive they’ll be seen.
Sam: “I am a woman who has slept with two men on the same team.  If people in the office find that out…”
Martin: “What we’re just sleeping together.  I know exactly what you’re talking about.”
He thought they meant more to each other.

As for Martin running after the truck, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were watching a scene out of Now And Again!  Eric's other show.

Martin feels guilty about not noticing what was happening sooner with the abduction because he had other things on his mind, so he didn’t notice.  Not something you’d notice since everyone kept saying in this episode that they assumed they were father and son.

Of course Jack knew about them – Martin was in Sam’s neck of the woods after all and the ‘friend’ had to be her.  They’re always exchanging glances and even more so when Jack’s around and even Danny found out.

The number of times, “it’s not safe” was said.  That was the buzz word for this episode, even Martin said it.

Jack and Martin’s relationship has come a long way, whereas before he’d have reprimanded Martin for getting into the truck – unarmed – this time he didn’t, and for endangering lives.

Jack: “Martin, I know about you and…”
Martin: “OK.”
Jack: “Good luck with it.”  Jack doesn’t even say her name.

As for getting into the truck and where Martin says he's seen it done before, it was exactly what Jack did in the season 1 finale – going into the bookshop in exchange for Sam when she was shot.  So maybe that’s what he was referring to.  And maybe that’s why Jack didn’t admonish him.

Danny mentions 411 – the number for US directory assistance – hence the phrase “the 411” on someone or something – meaning information, the lowdown etc.  Well some people won't know the reference.  As in season 1's Fallout this episode doesn't show the Vic disappearing, though Martin does run past him.  So it was good to see Martin's feelings of guilt and how his character has evolved since the Pilot episode where he seemed so cocky and sure of himself.

A shame things didn't go anywhere with Martin and Sam since they made a great couple, but you knew nothing would happen.  There was just a good storyline on offer while it lasted.

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