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Tuesday 17 July 2012

CSI: NY - 7.9: "Justified" Review


A woman's body is found in the river, who just happens to be the same woman who allegedly stole Roni's identity. Mac pursues his investigation of Chief Carver.


A DB is found in the river and Jo (Sela Ward) believes the killing was about rage as she was beaten and shot in the heart, "an emotional statement."  Hawkes (Hill Harper) finds no traces of peticule hemorrhaging and she was only in the water for a few hours.  Chief Carver (John Larroquette) arrives on the scene stating he wasn't expecting this (a loaded comment.)  Mac (Gary Sinise) says the killer left something behind, i.e.  the bullet.

Sid (Robert Joy) retrieves the bullet from the DB and Lindsay (Anna Belknap) matches it to the Chief's gun.   Lindsay over the past seasons is always the one who matches forensics or evidence to items belonging to, or concerning the CSI team, or Flack (Eddie Cahill.)  It was Danny's discarded cigarette in season 2's Run Silent, Run Deep, Flack was the one who was responsible for the drug raid in season 3's Consequences episode, she's a bit of a 'snitch' for want of a better word.   As she doesn't know how to deal with it but always goes running to Mac, aside from the episode where she actually told Danny about the cigarette matching his DNA, but that was only because she had feelings for him.

Mac thought the Chief would be smart enough not to use his own gun, which was registered to him, who subsequently  tells Mac he lost the gun years ago but didn't report it.   He shows Mac where Roni (Kimberley Murphy) used to live.   For a cop he didn't do much to either help his sister out of that rut she was in, or to help her children, until it was too late.   He believes she must have taken his gun, but by then he had the children and if he reported it, then someone would look for her.

Sid conducts the autopsy and finds white specks in the DB's ear, which Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo) identifies as fluorescent paint.   The DB was Marcella  Gomez (Alex Madison) from Columbia and her future husband was Mitch Barrett (Mo Gallim).   He would beat her up.  Flack and Danny get themselves into a scrape, well an all-out brawl, when they go to question Mitch.   He asks if they have a warrant to which Flack replies, "if we had a warrant, you would be face down on the ground."  He spoke too soon, cos that's what happened to them.   Should've known that shots would be fired through the door any minute, it was that obvious!  Danny and Flack weren't really injured much for the beating they suffered!

Flack tells Mitch, during questioning, they were "a little iffy until you started shooting at us." When Mitch asks how they knew it was him.   Danny enlightens him that he left behind reflective paint and he has a record for beating women.   Mitch promised Marcella he'd kill her if he ever found her and that's what he did.   So he admits to killing her now.   Well that case was neatly tied up pretty quickly, seeing as how the remainder focused on the chief and Mac's never dwindling suspicions.   Flack and Danny being taken down by the big, dumb guy  and still persevering in their attempt to arrest him.   After all that  and Flack only suffered a black eye and Danny a few bruises, should've sent Lindsay!  Ha, I don't condone violence, it's a joke.   Notice Flack's obvious stuntman!  Also Lindsay didn't have anything to say about Danny's injuries, not even a sarcastic remark.

Mac comments Marcella was searching for something in her bag.   She had to know that Roni was dead so she could have used her identity so freely.   Lindsay confirms Mitch's story about the gun, as his prints were found on top of Marcella's.   Lindsay was wrong on both counts here when she concluded that Marcella did take her identity or killed Roni.   She was assuming without evidence.   Mac suspects the Chief of lying.   Jo warns him of the serious consequences of "letting his emotions cloud his judgement."   In his pursuit of the Chief without concrete evidence.   Mac: "There's no way a cop loses his gun and doesn't report it."  See Danny in the episode, All in the Family.   Marcella was sure no detective would knock on her door and she wasn't at her apartment because the Chief tipped her off.  

Jo goes over the evidence  and Lindsay has to go first.   Danny can't see a motive for the Chief killing her.   Marcella lived in his precinct when she arrived in the US.   Adam (AJ Buckley) didn't find any hits on CODIS from the casing.   The jacket used to cover Roni belonged to a Richard Hudson (Robert Mammana).   He denies knowing Roni 15 years ago and Hawkes asks him how much he used to pay for their dates.   He used to see her and together went for a walk in the park, leaving her there to get his credit card.   A cop spoke to her, but he wouldn't recognize him.  

When Lindsay questioned him, again it was more 'macho posturing' on her part (I know I've used that phrase for her a-plenty, but it's so true.)  Once more her lines seemed to have been written for someone else, like Danny and would've been delivered better by someone else.   Why are the writers giving her so much screen time this season anyway.   Plodding off smugly to give her findings to Mac from the print match on the gun. Other characters didn't have much to do this episode.

Danny says the knife used to kill her was consistent with the toolmarks on Roni's ribcage.   Adam found a partial DNA profile on the knife belonging to Jimmy Valdez (Austin M Rodriguez).   Jo concludes there was no connection between Roni and Marcella.  Jimmy tells Flack that a cop took his knife from him and he might recognize him.   Jo believes him.   Mac brings up the topic of how every cop had a shoebox full of knives in his locker, back then, crime was rife.   Jo asks if he did too, but he doesn't admit to it and cops weren't meant to leave their posts.   As Danny adds, you'd be assigned to the middle of Brooklyn Bridge at midnight.   Chambers and West subway station was only used by any cop going to court.  Jimmy recognizes the Chief from an old photo.  

Thus giving Mac another chance to accuse him of murder as he was identified in a photo array.   Mac vows to continue until he has enough evidence against him.   Obviously it was Jay as they showed him again.

Adam was ignored by Mac again when he asks him if he's OK, too caught up in gunning for the Chief.   He tells Adam to compare the DNA profile found on the gum to Roni's DNA.   The DNA was from a male donor.   Oh and another thing as Columbo would say, would the Chief really be so stupid as to leave behind all that evidence when he buried his sister, if he had killed her.

Jo questions Sid on whether the Chief's physical stature and strength would be enough for him to have killed her.   Sid recalls him and that they used to joke he should have been an ME with the name, 'Carver'.   But the stab wounds are on the lower part of her body.   The blunt force injury to Roni's head was lower - a large stone was used at an upward angle causing a hairline fracture.   The Chief would've "caved in her skull."

Adam gets a hit on the DNA profile, we knew it matched Jay, but they kind of dragged it out.   It's good when they show the team as having already analyzed the evidence, instead of actually doing it then because sometimes there's no need to see that and there was so much of it in this episode, it would've taken too long.

Jay confesses, he was in the park and stabbed her out of rage.   He buried her himself (and threw his gum in for good measure.) Jo asks just what I was thinking at the same time, why he dug her up?  There may have been an intended bike path in the park so he thought it would be found.   Well it was now.   He thought about killing her for a long time and planned it.   Mac thought the DNA would match the Chief, in his narrow minded pursuit of justice.  

The Chief explains Jay wanted to turn himself in to him.   Jay reveals his scars from the beatings and then she started on the other children.   Mac says the Chief can't changed what happened.   He found Marcella in the rain, talking of killing herself so he gave her the gun for protection.   Jay doesn't feel guilty for killing his mother.   Mac tells Jo the Chief was fired and stripped of his pension.   Jay won't be serving any jail time.   Mac doesn't tell her what he thinks about Jay being released as he's not sure how to justify premeditated murder, but it's not important what he thinks.   Oh so it was important he thought the Chief was a killer but now it doesn't matter, when all the evidence is in.

Don't you hate it when you're right, but what can you do;  as I said in my review of last week's episode, it was Jay who killed his mother and the Chief was covering for him.   So Mac had to be wrong, whilst remaining true to his convictions, he was wrong about one Chief but he hasn't been in the past when dealing with other bureaucratic chiefs.   It's not often he doesn't get his suspect or is mistaken, which shows he's human after all.   Jo telling him to be careful as he's gunning for the Chief and so that extra piece of evidence would be needed.   At least he listened to her, showing how much he respects her.

Obviously the DA wouldn't bring charges against Jay, it'd be in no one's interest.   As I also said, the Chief warned Marcella and she ran from her apartment, why'd he let her leave her bag behind, she should've known to have taken it with her, also Mitch tracked her down easily.  

Mac seems to be in a world of his own at times, ignoring Adam again; putting chiefs out to pasture is more the norm for NYPD, rather than face adverse publicity and cries of "police cover-up."  Jo was so sympathetic in her questioning of Jay.   She's the shining beacon who clearly knows how to handle each suspect or Vic she comes across, showing not only her professionalism but her humanity.   She understood why Jay killed his mother, she's a mother with children of her own and was probably instrumental in getting the DA to reduce the charges to manslaughter without jail time.   We've taken a shine to her.   A great asset to the show!

Jo commenting on Mac's poker face, Flack mentioned that in the season 2 poker episode, Bad Beat, "Now Mac, there's a man with a poker face.   Who knows what he's thinking."  Which is repeated here by Jo, great continuity from long ago, mind you, it could just have a passing comment from the writer.   Mac apparently did argue that the Chief not be subject to any charges or disciplinary action but he doesn't come right out and say it, as he normally would have if it concerned anyone else.

Also the missing gun not being reported was reminiscent of Danny having his gun taken (he had his badge stolen last season) and not reporting it either in season 4's All In the Family.   Flack covered for him as much as he could when it turned out to have been taken by Rikki (Jacqueline Pinol) to use in a revenge attack against her son's killer.   Though it was understandable because of this.   Flack showing his staunch loyalty for Danny.   On a similar note, Mac does stick his neck out  in protecting those he thinks deserve his loyalty; such as Flack in season 6 after he shot and killed Angell's (Emmanuelle Vaugier) killer, Mac knew.

Jo insisting there are consequences if he takes on the Chief and he turns out to be wrong.   Well Mac doesn't think about the consequences, only in getting the job done; as was adequately demonstrated in season 3's Consequences episode when he was at odds with Flack, but went ahead and did what he wanted to anyway.   Here he actually listened to Jo's plea to find more evidence.

Monday 16 July 2012

Without A Trace "Nickel & Dimed" Part 1 Review


Colleen (Audrey Marie Anderson) leaves her son Jake with Mrs Reese (Carol Locatelle) and then goes missing.  It’s her training day at work, if she misses it she’ll be fired.

23 Hours Missing
Colleen McGrath, 25 from White Plains.  She worked at Everymart and Jake’s now with social Services.  They don’t know where the father is.  Jack (Anthonly Lapaglia) says Colleen could’ve just left.

24 Hours Missing
Danny (Enrique Murciano) and Viv (Marianne Jean Baptiste) talk to Mrs Reese who tells them she wouldn’t just leave Jake.  She had Thursday off and someone else watched him then.  Colleen lives at cheap rate motels and she wasn’t worried about money.
The manager at the store says everyone is like family here.  He didn’t know Colleen had a son.

26 Hours Missing
Danny calls Colleen’s room “the Presidential suite.”  She didn’t take much with her if she left.  Viv finds a key.  Danny says it has pins in the front and back and it doesn’t belong to the motel.  The manager tells them she had a man in her room and he ‘overheard’ her phonecall asking for $200.

Martin (Eric Close) finds Colleen didn’t have a mobile phone, car or credit cards.  She worked 5 days a week and worked somewhere else for the other 2 days.  She needed another job as Sam (Poppy Montgomery) says, she earned $7 an hour, paid 4175 a week for the motel room.  She works under 40 hours so she doesn’t qualify for benefits so she was earning $228 a week.  She bought a backpack from work whene she bought the shoes.

27 Hours Missing
Jack talks to Nora, (Chane't Johnson) Colleen’s friend at the store.  She kept Jake quiet from the managers because they don’t like their employees to have children.  She had a job cleaning a house and had problems with the husband there.  She was looking for another job.  Danny finds the man lives in Scarsdale and drives a sports car.  His name is Ted Fortman (Christopher Cousins).

29 Hours Missing
His wife left him.  He was having an affair but not with the help.  Sam emphasizes Colleen had a name.  Colleen saw him with another woman and he thought she’d told his wife so he fired her.  She hit him and took her 4100 pay for 2 days.  She was picked up by a red and black striped van which was waiting for her. Sam didn’t like Fortman saying Colleen was only the maid.

32 Hours Missing
Danny and Viv canvas the motel again.  There’s a call for colleen on the payphone from a doctor.
Dr Evans (Ben Bode) called her about Jake who needed a hearing aid costing $500.  Foster children are the responsibility of the state so Colleen couldn’t get the money that way.  Sam doesn’t believe she’d just abandon Jake.  A woman at the motel says she heard shouting from Colleen’s room.  A  man left.  Colleen told her he’d kill her.  Sam talks with Jake and shows her the photo of the man from the motel.  He gets upset.
 Jack talks with Nora again and whilst there sees the manager drive up in the black and red striped pick-up.  He caught Colleen stealing from the store.  She needed the money so he let her go.

48 Hours Missing
 She asked Ray (Mike Dooly) for $1,000 right now.  She ordered the hearing aid but didn’t collect it.  Martin thinks she could have got the money from a loan shark.  He says this case is getting to Sam and asks if it’s Jake?  It’s everything.  Danny spies Martin and Sam on the balcony, well he would wouldn't he.

51 Hours Missing
Jeanette passed out in her room (Cathryn De Prume).  Sam gets tough with her and say she’ll fix her up with a syringe.  She claims to be clean until Colleen dropped Jake off.  She steals a bag from colleen’s backpack.  She tells her she didn’t take it and threatens to call the police.  The bag was worth over $1,000.  Colleen gives Jake a toy bus, she was taking the bus to the city.  Sam arrests Jeanette.  Martin has the lab analyze the syringe.  Jack talks with Scott, a former drug mule.  The chemical analysis of the heroine shows it’s the same smuggling ring.  Scott met Ken in the coffee shop where she worked.  It was easy money and she’d make $800.  She’d have to take the bus to the Port Authority and then would get the rest of the money.  She got 5 years for possession with intent and another 5 for being within 1,000 feet of a school.  Jack tells the others Colleen delivered short so she’s probably not missing but dead.

The bus driver recognizes Colleen.  She took the bus to White Plains 5 days ago.  She was upset things were going badly for her.  He gave her the toy bus.

Viv says she’s going home as the case is getting cold.  Martin works on case files from the DEA.  Sam says it’s not about paper trails; Colleen has disappeared like she never existed.  She helps Martin with the files.  He finds a drug dealer fitting a similar profile: 26 years old from Winchester County who was found shot in the river.  The suspect was the same unknown man from Colleen’s motel room.  Sam thinks of a plan and tells Jack.

Jack: “I am conducting a federal investigation.  I will talk to whomever, wherever, whenever I want to.”  Jack getting his own way again.
Sam: “…never on grid to begin with.”
So much for keeping quiet about Colleen having a son, Jack’s just let the cat out of the bag, not that it mattered.

Sam: “I haven’t met Mr Fortman yet, but I feel like I know him already.”  Sam after looking at his sports car, which Danny has a particular interest in. Enrique and his love of cars and bikes.
Danny: “What, not your type?”
Sam: “Nope.”
Danny: “What is your type?”
Sam: “Not Mr Fortman.”  Danny asking what Sam’s type is when in season 1 episode  The Friendly Skies Martin asks Danny if the detective is Sam’s type.  Think he would’ve known by now what her type is; it’s just more convenient for him to have asked this now that he’s seeing Martin and he’ll spot them together later.  That season 1 episode was written by Hank Steinberg and this one wasn’t, hence the continuity factor. But then Danny knew there was something between Sam and Martin since season 1.  “Call me crazy!”  Danny that is.

Viv: “People stay missing or get found on the smallest detail, so if you know anything.”
Danny: “What’s the other thing? -  you said for one thing Colleen…what’s the other thing?”  He’s very perceptive isn’t he.

Jack :"I’ll save it for later.”  Does Jack really smoke?

Sam: “It’s all of it.”  Sam and Martin have a heart to heart as this case is too close to home for her.  The first time Danny sees them together but not the last.

Viv: “Tomorrow is another day.”  But tomorrow will be too late.

Sam: “…shouldn’t have been so hard for her – she deserved better…this isn’t about records or files or paper trails; the problem is she’s invisible – this woman has vanished into thin air and if it weren’t for Jake it wouldn’t have even made a ripple.  I feel like things happen to people like her…and no one notices and no one is held accountable.”  This episode is really about Sam and perhaps her problems from her past.  See part 2.
Note the Chrysler Building behind Jack in the background at the prison.

Sam becoming so emotionally involved made this episode what it was.  So much emotion and character development too, which is hard to find in shows of this nature, but WAT was without a doubt, in a calibre of its own.  Not to mention another balcony scene too, love those, especially if Danny's around!

The title alludes to a book by Barbara Erhenrich.

Desperate Housewives - 7.13: "I'm Still Here" Review


Paul has suspicions Beth was the one who shot him and he plans revenge by stealing her away to a cabin. Bree meets Keith's son, but fails to tell him. Carlos realizes Gaby is suffering because of Grace and finds her doll.

Mary Alice (Brenda Strong) talks of Paul (Mark Moses) realizing his wife was a liar, she "lied with every smile, with every caress and with every kiss...his entire marriage was a fraud.   The only thing he didn't know, is how he would punish her." Beth (Emily Bergl) tells Paul how strange the street is and how the others tried to frame her.   Paul is astounded that the gun just appeared out of nowhere.   But he knows the truth.   At least he thinks he does.   Now that he suspects Beth, the truth won't be as clear cut as that, as she'll turn out to have been too obvious a suspect.

Mary Alice: "Paul had no choice but to punish his wife because some lies are unforgivable."  Seems that's all Paul ever had on the brain, getting back at people.   So he hasn't changed.

Mary Alice: "We are reminded every Spring with every rose that blooms...the world is a beautiful place...sadly it is filled with people who do ugly things constantly."  Renee (Vanessa Williams) asks if Bob (Tuc Watkins) and Lee (Kevin Rahm) are friends with Barbara, the "inferior designer."  Bob doesn't want to hire Renee as she's not maternal.   Lee lets it be known they're decorating a room for Eliza.   Carlos (Richardo Antonio Chavira) finds a credit card bill for $800 for Miss Charlotte's Doll place.   Gaby (Eva Longoria) bought it as it made her feel happy.   Somehow Carlos is not going to understand that!

Bree (Marcia Cross) meets Keith's (Brian Austin Green) ex girlfriend, Amber (Rochelle Aytes) when she comes to her house.   How exactly did she get her address.   Bree introduces herself as his girlfriend and not his landlady.   Susan (Teri Hatcher) undergoes dialysis and meets Dick (Gregory Itzin) hey it's whatshisname from The Mentalist.    He's a grump and refuses to speak with her, prompting her to comment, "people say she doesn't seem like a Susan - but him..."

Lynette's (Felicity Huffman) mother, Stella (Polly Bergen) pays her a visit, which she's dreading and drops a bombshell, she's getting married to Frank (Larry Hagman).   Bree sits in bed with things on her mind, namely Amber and wakes Keith up by hitting him; then feigning he was dreaming and shouting, "Amber" in his sleep.   He remembers a girlfriend from 7 years ago called Amber, surprised he recalls anything going back a few weeks, really!  She left him.   Frank just tells Lynette to call him "dad."  Lynette's more interested in asking why he's marrying Stella.   He loves her, which she finds hard to believe.   Gaby asks Karen McClusky (Katherine Joosten) for the address for the Chinese restaurant and notices the doll inside her house.   How many times has she been there and she conveniently just notices the doll now.   Her doll's named Adelaide and she was her best friend growing up.   Gaby shows her Princess Valerie and suggests they go to the  tearoom, with their dolls.

Frank calls Lynette 'Lorraine' and she finds him obnoxious and borderline racist.   Stella admits she's only marrying him for the money, since she married for love before and they all left her poor.   Paul woes how he has hate for his neighbours and how they all betrayed him, his son disowned him and he hates whoever tried to kill him...  he's tired of hating people but doesn't know how to stop.   Beth suggests he should focus on the good in his life, like her.   That's funny; she can't see that he's playing her.   He thinks of her all the time, especially since he found out who her mother is and  thinks they should go away together to a cabin in the woods, where no one can find them.   See the first sign of trouble and he's got murder on his mind again, which was how all his troubles began.

Karen lets Carlos know about Gaby.   He realizes  the doll was hers and not a gift.   The doll makes her happy.   It's about Grace and she lets rip that it was his rule they shouldn't mention Grace's name.   Susan brings Scrabble to her next dialysis session, but Dick prefers to play the game on his phone.   She likens him to a mean cheerleader.    Last time Renee likened the women to mean girls at lunch and now Susan comes up with the cheerleader analogy.   Dick tells her they won't be friends when the beeper goes off since it means someone has died and a kidney is available.   Susan was trying to comfort herself and not him, but he couldn't see that, bitter as he was.  

Bree confronts Amber, Charlie (Sayeed Shahidi) is 6 and she never told Keith she was pregnant.   Bree offers to tell him about Charlie for her and she believes her.   I didn't.   Though Bree doesn't like to admit it, she has changed.   Last time she told Orson (Kyle MacLachlan)  that she had changed because of Keith and this week we see her true colours.   the change in her wasn't for the better.   She refuses to tell Keith since she's afraid of losing him.   Bob and Lee love the room: it's exactly what Lee wanted when he was growing up.   Renee was thinking of that room for 20 years, for her own daughter.   Which she regrets and they pick up on this, it's not too late for her to adopt.

Tom (Doug Savant) insists Lynette go through with the wedding and wheel Stella down the aisle.   To think when she dies one day, they'll have money.   She must support her mother on her wedding day.   Lynette wheels her away from the altar and threatens not to come and visit her more if she marries him.   Frank needs her and she found it easier to say it was about money than the truth.   No one needs Stella and she's lonely.   Bob and Lee introduce Renee to Eliza and Lee asks her a favour, when they need help with girl issues, if they can bring her here.

Paul takes the note Beth leaves for the gardener.   The detectives tell him about the gun and Bree saying it was planted.   Paul recognizes the gun and lies about not having seen it before; it's not Beth's gun.   In which case, why did Susan recognize it as the one Beth threatened her with on Hallowe'en.    Paul cancels the trip, Beth "dodged a bullet there."  Keith's fine with not having a child and Bree wonders if he had the chance to be a father, would he take it.   What sort of a question was that, of course he would and she's had two of her own, so she should know better.   Bree lies to Amber saying Keith is too different after all these years.   She gives her a cheque and attempts to buy her off.   Rather she was buying Amber's silence in the hopes she would just leave!

Carlos is shocked at seeing the doll in the car seat and Gaby needs to see a therapist.   Getting lost in a deserted part of town since Carlos refused to use the satnav (GPS), it was clear they would be carjacked and Gaby refuses to leave without the doll.   Carlos tries to shake her round by saying it's not Grace.

Mary Alice: "The world is full of people who do ugly things...why do they act this way - some lie to keep from losing what they love...put up walls because they have regrets.   Everyone has a reason for the ugly things we do and once we find out why, we can try to stop them."

An episode all about children mostly this week and the regrets everyone has about them, or about not having any.   Clearly Renee wanted them but didn't have any, presumably not meeting the right man.   Gaby has lost Grace and Bree keeps Keith from his like a scared woman scorned, forgetting truth will out eventually on Wisteria Lane.

Sunday 15 July 2012

CSI: Miami - 9.8: "Happy Birthday" Review

A pregnant woman is carjacked and beaten up, with a few suspects, many of whom, her husband, seems the less obvious. Horatio remembers Marisol on her birthday and there's yet more show of brute force on his part.

Horatio (David Caruso) has flowers on the front seat of the Hummer and asks Delko (Adam Rodriguez) to cover for him, he's "out of commission."   He's got to say hello to someone.     He's flagged down to help a woman found by the roadside.

One hour earlier.   The woman is at a restaurant with her friend, Marcie (Jessica Collins) and she wants her to throw a baby shower for her.   It's a nightmare for Marcie as she can't have children of her own.   They were both selfish, it was all about each other.   The pregnant one is carjacked and beaten.   Horatio: "I want all hands on deck.   They are gonna pay."  Not only cos they diverted him from his alone time but lately he's in no forgiving mood.

The Vic is Heather (Joanne Kelly) and Natalia (Eva Larue) calls her husband, Gary (David Conrad).   Horatio says they need to find Marcie who tells them they had a disagreement.   Walter (Omar Miller) stresses she was the last person to see Heather.   Calleigh (Emily Procter) at the hospital tells Gary and her step-son Josh (Austin Butler) that Heather was assaulted.   Since when does Calleigh sit with Vics at their bedside.

Walter and Natalia process where she was found and follow a blood trail to a blood pool, locating the primary CS.  Also found are the tail lights from a Mercedes.   Walter notices the rubber marks and gets excited.   Natalia believes she was targeted.   Horatio and Delko give chase when Heather's car is located and it's left to Tripp (Rex Linn) to drive into it, stopping it in its tracks.   The two suspects escape on foot.   When Delko says they're in pursuit, he should have said "hot pursuit" but alas it wouldn't be appropriate for him.   Oh no here comes the dreaded chase after the suspects, who run into a club.   One suspect escapes when shots are fired and Delko comes down hard on another one, wrestling him to the floor.   He broke his arm.   Yet more brutality, something that's unexpected from a CSI:Miami episode and yet continues every episode.   Getting boring.   At least IN CSI:NY, where the first season did start off aggressively, you don't see this kind of excessive force! Not this blatantly and arbitrarily either.

Vicki (Lisa Marcos) is the day manager.   The photo that was thrown at Delko is taken to the lab to be examined.   She's the photographer.   Ryan (Jonathan Togo) and Walter process the car.   Walter comments on Delko's antics in taking down the suspect and Ryan adds he didn't get them both, more as a sign of how it would have helped their case, if anything.   At least Walter and Ryan get a moment to joke around like back in the 'old' days of season 8.   The airbag is missing and perhaps the suspects removed it to drive the car away.   Ryan asks why they beat her up if all they wanted was the car?  That was the important question.   Of course they missed the obvious suspect in this episode, i.e they neglected to look at the spouse, Gary, to begin with missing all the clues that pointed to him.   Which is what their work entails,  if they weren't too busy at being heavy handed.   Ryan notices the car has been keyed.

Calleigh helps Heather to pray, reciting a prayer her grandmother used to say, all about angels.   Natalia finds the rounds were used in an armed robbery and lead to Sam, (James Harry Ward)one of the carjackers.   Horatio tells them to stop the captured suspect, Ruben (Dante Basco)  from being taken to hospital as he wants to engage in some 'therapy' of his own, Horatio-style.    Resorting to more threatening tactics and in the Hummer and Natalia appeared to go along without any objections.   Horatio actually applying pressure to Ruben's broken shoulder in order for him to give up Sam's whereabouts.   Yep, there's no Rick Stetler (David Lee Smith) around to step on anyone's toes anymore.   Human life is all that matters to Horatio and he threatens they'll be finding pieces of Ruben all over the Bay if the baby dies.   S suspects aren't human, even if they are the worst of humanity.   Ruben doesn't know where Sam is but tells them about the chop shop.

When raided they find Josh.   Who demonstrates there's no love lost between him and Heather.   He hates her, she got the car and so he keyed it.   Horatio notices the presence of white trace on the key.  Surveillance photos of Heather are also found at the shop.  Heather recalls where the photo was taken, when Gary showed her the photos.   At the Sienna Sky restaurant.   She recognizes Sam as Marcie's personal trainer.   Whom Walter questions about Heather being watched and she denies everything and lawyers up.

Ryan gets the brush off from the restaurant manager, there aren't any cameras in the parking lot.   He then notices a white line across the photo taken from the club.   Which Delko missed, they're on the original photo too.   Taken by Vicki's camera.   Sam paid her to take them and they used to go out together.   Sam got around.   Well he did and that was obvious when he ran into the club managed bu his former girlfriend.   Leading them right to her in the process.   The line is an indication of a flaw on the camera's sensor.   Ryan tells her she could be charged with felony murder.   They find Sam in a hotel and he's kept the incriminating evidence in the form of the airbag.   Well that was clever.  Gary attacks him with a knife, another clever move!  Drawing suspicion on himself.

Heather is rushed to OR as she's bleeding.  Horatio gets an idea from the knife and the marks are matched to the airbag when it was removed.   Horatio recalls Gary never asked about the baby.   He admits Vicki knows people and he asked if someone could do this for him.   He never wanted another baby, only a wife.   But she wasn't meant to be assaulted.  Calleigh prays for Heather and the baby again.   Calleigh convinces Heather she's strong enough for the baby and they have each other.

Horatio sits by Marisol's grave as Delko prays.   So why were they not there together.   There's a flash to their wedding and he tells her the baby is beautiful, just like Marisol.   Look Weeping Angels, "don't blink.  A reference which will be apparent to Doctor Who watchers.

CSI:Miami's 200th episode could have been done so much better and yet it just seems to go backwards, as if none of the characters have evolved and they're all stuck back into earlier seasons.   Horatio in a lab coat again but not enough to detract from his newly-found, old toughness.   Resurfacing again for season 9 even though it was there in past seasons, it wasn't that apparent until after Marisol was killed.   Even so, the brutality and crossing the line wasn't shown on screen.

Marisol appeared in season 4, but there was never much in developing her character  and Horatio's relationship with her.   It all appeared artificial resulting in a whirlwind marriage.   Seeming more like an afterthought in the storyline.   Now they bring her back and remember her out of the blue.   It's her birthday and Heather's baby is born on the same day too, as Horatio sits by her grave, momentarily delayed by this case.   Thus the flowers he had in the beginning.   As well as being the show's birthday too.   It's difficult to reconcile Horatio crossing the line to get the job done, with his caring for Vics and feelings for Marisol.

Saturday 14 July 2012

Desperate Housewives - 7.12: "Where Do I Belong" Review


Susan needs a kidney transplant but not from Julie, secretly expecting it to come from her mother. Beth feigns finding the gun that shot Paul at Bree's house and there's an old face back in town.

Mary Alice: (Brenda Strong) "Gaby's (Eva Longoria) biological daughter was erased and she struggled to cope.   Tom (Doug Savant) had a 20 year old secret...he once slept with his wife's best friend, it no longer mattered to him but his wife felt differently.   That's why she had decided to punish him and torture him and humiliate him...have her revenge before she told him she knew."  Tom rips his pants.   Renee (Vanessa Williams) thinks she made a mistake telling Lynette (Felicity Huffman) about them, well then she shouldn't have but it's too late now.   Lynette thinks what she's doing to him is better than smashing his head and she's not ready to get over it yet.   Since when he apologizes, she'll cry and then forgive him.   Besides no one's getting hurt and he slips on some peanut butter strategically placed on the stairs.   What if one of the children had stepped on it.   Lynette "had developed a taste for revenge and she was finding it delicious." Devious lot these housewives! as we know.

Mary Alice: "We pass by these people everyday - sense their isolation - but we just keep walking."  The Reverend Sikes ( Dakin Matthews) asks Bree (Marcia Cross) to help out Beth (Emily Bergl) but Bree refuses as she's married to a lunatic.   They then proceed to quote Bible verses at each other and the Rev wins by bringing out Bree's guilt as she's shacking up with her boyfriend.   Bob (Tuc Watkins) and  Lee (Kevin Rahm) celebrate at dinner with Carlos (Richard Antonio Chavira) as they are adopting a girl named Eliza.   Yeah that's just what Gaby needed to hear after her ordeal.   They were hoping for some champagne.   Gaby thinks she's beautiful as she's caught in the moment with her photo, Carlos says she's fine.   But she can't cope with her emotions and needs her doll.

Julie (Andrea Bowen) visits Susan (Teri Hatcher) in hospital but Susan refuses to accept her kidney.   Mike (James Denton) tells her she should think closer to home, her mother.   She's set against it as she doesn't want to lose her mind as well as her kidney.   Julie's already told Susan's mother and now it'll be a nightmare for Susan, she'll owe her mother for the rest of her life.   Yes always thinking of herself is Susan.   Renee lets Tom know she spilled to Lynette, cos the guilt gets the better of her too, but the guilt of carrying this secret around for over 20 years just washed over her!  He's been accident prone lately and recalls the gay porn Lynette placed in his PowerPoint presentation.   He tests the brakes just to be on the safe side.   If Lynette wanted to kill him, think she'd have already succeeded by now, ha.  

Bree invites Beth for a get together at her house with the others, saying Beth was never hated and Paul's (Mark Moses) not that bad (a little more fibbing on Bree's part).   Beth says he went to prison for a murder he didn't commit.   Beth shouldn't have to suffer for what he's done.   Aunt Claire (Valerie Harper) arrives with her mother.   Mike tells her of Susan needing a donor and her mother, Sophie (Leslie Ann Warren) wonders who that would be.   Mike suggests Sophie but Susan is adamant she won't do it.   Claire begins to tell her why but Sophie interrupts; they're going away together on a three month cruise; so the timing's not right.

Lynette makes Brownies for Tom with some extra laxative included.   Tom refuses as he had a big lunch and insists Penny (Darcy Rose Byrnes) should have it, forcing Lynette to stop her from eating.   Tom denies it was an affair and it was meaningless.   Lynette is certain they were only taking a break from each other; then one day she had an epiphany.   She chose a path that included Tom in her life and he was sleeping with her best friend.   Gaby returns home with Bree to find doll's clothes strewn all over the stairs.   Bree comments she hopes that Carlos is "not having an affair with a tiny, naked person."  Gaby replies the doll isn't a toy, it's hers and she's something special that can't be taken away.   Then covers herself by adding it's a gift for Bob and Lee.

Susan wonders why Sophie refused to be tested.   There's an 85% chance she'll be thinking her mother doesn't care.   Sophie's sorry for disappointing her.   Claire wants Susan to let her mother off the hook as there are things she doesn't know.   She has breast cancer and is beginning chemo next week.   The cruise is the story so that's why there's no kidney and she didn't want to burden Susan by telling her.

Gaby takes her doll back to the shop and asks if she's weird for being attached to the doll.   Naturally Miss Charlotte (Stephanie Faracy) wouldn't think so.   Gaby feels she needs her and she calms her down.   Miss Charlotte has a doll too and calls her Mrs Humphreys.   Gaby's feelings are normal.   Every doll has a story and her one has a music shop.   Mrs Humphreys is always there.   Her sister passed away, just like Miss Charlotte's own sister did.  "They'll never leave you."  Gaby calls her doll Princess Valerie.

Tom apologizes to Lynette, he never found the right moment to tell her about Renee and then they had the children.   They had beautiful moments together that he didn't want to spoil.   She can forgive him or ruin their lives they've spent together.   Did Lynette cry then, no.   Susan and Sophie make up and she apologizes.   Susan tells her a health scare makes you think what's important.   Sophie knows how they feel about each other and one day they should go on a cruise together, just the two of them.   Lynette forgives Tom when she touches his hand next day at the breakfast table; but she doesn't use any words.

Bree lets the others know she invited Beth over.   Renee refers to her as 'the lady with the bad hair'.   Bree asks why Beth should suffer for the sins of her husband.   Renee tells the others they sound like mean, pretty girls who won't let anyone else sit at their lunch table.   Lynette wanted to be one of those, think she's making up for that now that she's older, ha.   Bree gets flowers but she doesn't recognize the delivery man.   He had a fake beard on!  Renee knows someone who can help Beth with her hair.   Bree reminds them they don't want Beth ending up like Mary Alice.  

Beth sits on a gun behind the cushion and that was planted there.   A .38 calibre.   Now Beth retorts she understands why she was invited here; so they could get her fingerprints on the gun.   Gaby says she was sitting there and she didn't feel anything.   Lynette adds Beth was alone in the room.   Susan reminds Beth she pulled a gun on her on Hallowe'en.   The same gun.   Beth accuses them of setting her up.   Isn't it Beth who's setting herself up.  Oh this plot's getting too weird.   Wouldn't Bree know if there was a gun under her cushion with her meticulous tidying up and she doesn't live there alone either.   Bree thinks Beth's as twisted as her husband.   (And like her mother too.)

Keith (Brian Austin Green) didn't send Bree flowers, no he wouldn't even dream of it, slob that he is, ha.  

Mary Alice: "...don't want to see the sadness in their expressions, the longing in their hearts, the loneliness in their eyes...stop and look at these isolated people.   If we look close enough we might just recognize them."   The flower guy is revealed as Paul's son, Zach (Cody Kasch) that's why the photo was shown in Bree''s house.   Oh boy, is he meant to be another suspect in the shooting of Paul or is he here to help him.

Another Supernatural Love interest For Sam

With the announcement that Sam (Jared Padalecki) is to have yet another love interest in Supernatural, as reported by TVLine, you have to ask why they bother?  Aside from providing a plot line and to continue the show further.

Sam has had many love interests over the 8 seasons of the show, from Jess who was killed and he blamed himself and felt guilty for a long time, then he met Sarah in 1.19 Provenance, but that didn't last and she was never heard from again cos they weren't ready to make that much of a commitment, what with the pitfalls of their 'family business' and all the death and hardship that involved.

Seems Sam didn't get much action for a while.  Along came Bela (Lauren Cohan) and Ruby in season 3 (or I should say Rubys with both Katie Cassidy and Genevieve Padalecki) and there was clamour from the fans.  You see Supernatural fans don't like our Winchesters to be paired up with anybody.  Luckily Bela was no good and there wasn't any romance involving Ruby - the first one - until season 4 when she was replaced by Genevieve.  I personally liked Katie Cassidy as Ruby.  But I didn't like Lisa and Dean's storylines.  It gave Jensen a chance to play Dean as lovestruck and totally committed, but it just didn't fit in with the show.  they get in the way of their fighting spirits and almost always get in between the boys and their brotherly relationship.


Sam's behaviour became a nightmare for Sam and Dean (Jensen Ackles) alike since Ruby was an evil demon and led Sam astray, into all his blood drinking to make him strong and fight demons in a way Dean couldn't imagine.  So after Ruby there was no one else for him since Sam was now firmly established into following big brother's one night stands lifestyle.  Sam was just into instant gratification. Well he had no soul so he didn't care what he was doing, one way or another.

In season 8 Canadian Liane Balaban has been cast as Amelia and she is set to recur.  Many a groan can be heard from fans who prefer to see Sam and Dean single!  Even if they are unavailable in real life! She's seen as a "tragedy-damaged soul" which just mirrors Sam and his past.  We know how tragic their lives have been, filled with heartache and loss, so she's meant to be a kindred spirit in that respects.  Yet we can only hope she too turns out to be evil and no good. hey I'm only repeating what most are thinking.  Perhaps 'soul' is the operative word here and there's more to this than meets the eye.  Considering Sam had no soul for a while in season 6.

Well, let's face it, their lives haven't change and they find themselves in peril everyday, how are they still going to balance life on the road and hunting with a female in tow.  Supernatural is a 'scary' show, or at least was during the earlier seasons when it first began.  It doesn't strike me as being a melodrama in the romantic sense of the word.  There's too much to cover with myths, legends and urban legends, as well as the 'supernatural' element to get bogged down with deep and meaningfuls.

Love has been done on this show and doesn't work. there haven't been any happily ever afters.  Romance has been seen to wreck the heart and mind and maybe the stories, but we'll have to wait and see.

Friday 13 July 2012

CSI: NY - 7.7: "Hide Sight" Review


A sniper targeting innocent civillians is loose in New York and is identified as a missing person Mac once searched for. A personal episode for Mac. He must be found before he kills more victims.

Mac (Gary Sinise) talks about a sniper loose in the city and proceeds to tear up the paper he was meant to read from.   He's only talking to his lab and not as we were lead to believe at a press conference, which comes later.   An attempt to fool us into thinking he was defying orders.   Mac defy orders, never, well maybe once or twice...As he mentions the sniper we see him in action, taking out another victim.   I like the scene where everyone looked like they were suspended in time as the camera pans around them, anyone was a potential target.   Mac mentions ballistics reveal that shots were fired about 300 yards from a high powered rifle.   The sniper is "precise, determined and leaves no witnesses."

Hawkes (Hill Harper) interrupts Sid (Robert Joy) as he's counting the fragments retrieved from the first Vic.   Hawkes "missed the no vacancy sign outside."  Meaning there were plenty of DBs today.   The second Vic's entry wound was smaller than the first.  Hawkes thinks they can run it through IBIS and get a lead on the shooter.   Sid attempts to remove the bullet from the second Vic, but her head explodes and he is injured.   He'll be fine.   Just as well Hawkes was around.   Jo (Sela Ward) says he'd be blind if it wasn't for his glasses.   The entry wound matches that of the first Vic now and Hawkes found nitroglycerin in the explosive residue.   The sniper is using exploding bullets.

Mac is told by Chief Carver (John Larroquette) in no uncertain terms that he's not to mention 'sniper' at all.   Mac feels the public have a right to know what they're dealing with.   Mac tells the press they don't know if the two cases are related and when broached on the questions of whether they're dealing with a sniper and that's what it appears to the reporter, Mac replies, "Me too."  Mac tells Carver to inform the Commissioner and the Mayor that he didn't utter the word 'sniper'.   Mac always has to deal with so much red tape and hypocritical superiors all the time.   It's amazing they actually let him get on with his job.   There's a marked difference in his character this episode and his approach to catching the sniper.   Usually he's portrayed in just getting the job done, irrespective of the consequences and who may be hurt in the process.   Like episode 4, Sangre Por Sangre.   He was very methodical.

Adam (AJ Buckley) strings the trajectory of the bullets and also users laser stringing to indicate where the bullet was fired from.  Jo and Lindsay (Anna Belknap) are already on the rooftop.   Jo finds a hair from the sniper's arm and Lindsay finds a dead bug on the ground with red blood.   They talk about the people down there as if nothing is wrong and Lindsay didn't come across as being very convincing in her concern for them, compared to Jo, who was that much more feeling.  That shot on the roof (no pun) with the two of them, was so CGI.   Flack (Eddie Cahill) is mentioned but doesn't turn up until 17 minutes into the episode! Ha.  There's no connection between the two Vics.   No Lindsay, what was scary was thinking Flack wouldn't be in this episode at all!

Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo) in no scenes with Lindsay this week, yay!  tests the bullets on 'Jelloman'.   (Well they call him that in CSI so I thought I'd continue using it too.)  He hasn't seen bullets like this since 1981.   The bullet explodes just like it did in the first Vic.   He half filled the bullets with nitroglycerin.   He agitates the bullet and it explodes.   Danny was the only one to ask after Sid.   He comments that he's "not happy unless he's looking at dead things."  Cue Lindsay...checking the bug.

They theorize on whether the Vic's could be related (didn't Flack tell them there wasn't any connection he found between them!) Flack appears to still be canvassing, off screen.   Hawkes has to explain people heard several shots being fired, since the sound waves from the bullet would echo off the concrete buildings.   Thought she feigned to know everything!  The bug she found was a cochineal beetle.   Jo finds a hit from the mitochondrial DNA to Michael Reynolds (Austin Michael Coleman) .   A boy who had been missing, Mac spent three years searching for him.   Arthur Francis kidnapped him and he escaped when he was twelve.   This was the first case where Mac questioned whether which of those things was worse, i.e.  finding him alive or not.   Michael wanted to wear his badge.   He has a brother Tom (Mark L Young).   Mac believed either one of them would become a cop.   He was wrong then.

Jo was so sympathetic and understanding here again as in the past, which was refreshing when Jo tells him "there's only so much this job allows us to do."  Kind of a reversal of a few episodes ago, when Mac told her she did everything she could in her old job at the FBI in turning in one of her partner's.   Hawkes doesn't find any address for Michael.   Mac and Flack begin with his last known address.   Flack: "I'm thinking, guilty."  His first words in his first scene this episode and they weren't very charitable.  Mac speaks with Hayley  (Tiffany Dupont) whom be spoke with when she was 9.   Michael used to have nightmares but painting helped him.   He moved out at 18.

Another Vic is shot, he's a male this time, so it rules out any gender discrimination on the part of the sniper.   Mac informs Carver they need to tell the public otherwise there'll be a fourth Vic.   Lindsay sits in front of the computer unable to figure out the relevance of 'Michael Francis'.   Until Jo talks about Stockholm Syndrome, Michael identified with his kidnapper and abuser and took his last name.   Flack and Danny check out the house in the name of Francis and stumble upon a DB, that of Michael.   Flack comments maybe he did everyone a favour and killed himself.   That's been said before.   Danny thinks he died about 48 hours ago so he couldn't have been the sniper.   Flack comments on the futility of Micheal's life, to be kidnapped and then murdered.

Jo identifies the sniper as Tom from the Mitochondrial DNA; since he took the beetle to the rooftop under his shoe after he killed Michael.   Mac has to explain to Lindsay this time that the DNA comes from the maternal side of the family and can include brothers.   Doesn't Lindsay also know her biology now.   Mac goes through Michael's belongings and finds a video tape.   Jo notices how Tom was standing on one side when Michael greeted his parents.   He was neglected and abused.   In killers, neglect is a common form of abuse.   Tom had a pre-existing condition,a genetic anomaly that renders him susceptible to kill.  Hayley calls Mac, Tom's back and thinks he'll come after her, but he doesn't.

Tom on the tape talks of abandonment and his 'life was a hole', whilst Tom looks for another Vic.   Jo tells Lindsay to put his image on the Homeland Security's surveillance  camera footage, which brings up no matches.   She then tells her to try NY Alerts, which will put his image through to every phone in the city.   Lindsay's been here a lot longer than Jo and she didn't think of doing that for herself.   Jo says he'll go for one last kill because he knows he'll be caught.

The woman who called when she spotted him was staring at him for a long time, talk about making it obvious.   Mac corners him on the rooftop and fires at his box of bullets, since he knew he'd never talk him down.   He had to rescue his shot officer.   On the rooftop, Tom repeats the same thing to Mac which he said on the tape, about his life being a hole.

Jo gives Sid a new pair of glasses, with impact-resistant glass.   Mac keeps the painting Michael did with his badge in it, because it meant something to him.   Michael was just a victim of circumstance, whereas Tom was a killer.

It was good in this episode that they found out who the sniper was, or thought it was, but he wasn't identified for certain until later, it made us think it was Michael also.   That it was his brother who was neglected when Michael was abducted but also when he returned.   Another of Mac's cases where he couldn't rescue Michael, showing  Mac is vulnerable as a detective back then and now.   He does care about people, even if it's not always clear and comes across as such in many episodes.   Adam got to go out on his own this episode too, for a little bit.

Season I CSI:Miami episode Kill Zone dealt with a sniper who kills three Vics in the head and then kills two more.   The media appear to be in a frenzy to expose the story.   In NY, there didn't seem to be the same urgency, even after the press concluded a sniper was on the loose.   They must have reported that but everyone was oblivious to his presence, sitting in open air cafes.   So much for Son of Sam being mentioned.   The sniper in CSI:Miami also didn't have a conscience picking off Vics at random.   Same as Tom who was remorseless.

Supernatural - 1.20: "Dead Man's Blood" Review


Supernatural's foray into vampire territory with its own version of the lore. Dad finally admits some truths to Sam and they seem to bury the hatchet when Dean's not around.

Manning, Colorado.   Present Day
Daniel Elkin (Terence Kelly) looks over his journal and papers at a bar.   A woman turns up and says they have dinner plans, not the sort of dinner normal people would have in mind.   She later turns up at Elkin's house.   He gets a gun out of his safe and she takes it.  "Boys we're eating in tonight."  Cue Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) in a cafe.   Sam's looking  for cases.   Dean suggests they could go see Sarah and Sam thinks maybe someday, like never.

Dean knows Elkin's name after finding it in Dad's (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) journal.   They drive to Colorado and Sam finds salt inside the door.   Dean: "You mean like demon protection salt or 'oops I spilled the popcorn' salt." Oh Dean...what by the door.  Sam says it's a ring of salt.   Dean finds an empty gun case and blood, together with scratches on the floor.   It's a message; a combination of a PO Box and inside they find letter addressed to Dad.  Well the initials, 'JW' on it, which belong to Dad.

Dad arrives, he read about Elkin and saw them at his house.   He had to make sure they weren't followed and compliments them on covering their tracks.   Dean has to comment on that saying, "We learned from the best."  Elkin taught Dad about hunting and he had a falling out with him.   Dad had a falling out with everyone, it could be said.   They must find the gun, an antique Colt revolver.   It killed vampires and Dean says there's no such thing.   Dad thought vampires were extinct but he was wrong.   Dad adds that most vampire law is crap, they can't be 'repelled by a cross, the sun won't kill them and neither will a stake through the heart'.   The bloodlust part is true for the purposes of our show.   Vampires need fresh, human blood to survive.   They were also people once so you won't know they're a vampire until it's too late.

A couple are abducted from the roadside.   Dad listens to the police scanner.   Dean: "Vampires, gets funnier everytime I hear it." Dad tells Dean to touch up the car before it rusts and he wouldn't have given it to him if he knew he wouldn't take care of it.   Hey that's Dean's baby he's talking about.   Vampires hunt in packs of 8-10 and take their Vics to their nest, where they are bled for days or even weeks.  Sam has criticisms of his own, telling Dean that Dad just told them what he thinks.   He treats them like children and much to Dean's chagrin, who comments on Sam going off at Dad already.  

The head vampire, Luther (Warren Christie) returns to the nest.   The woman vampire, Kate (Anne Openshaw) shows him the gun and tells him she made Elkin suffer for what he did to his family.  "Revenge isn't worth much if you end up dead."  The gun isn't any ordinary gun.   Sam questions Dad again on how he found the vampire's trail.   Sam refuses to get into he car.   Sam: "This is why I left in the first place."
 Dad: "You left when your brother and me needed you.   You walked away."
Sam: "You're the one who said, 'don't come back.   You're the one who closed the door on me...you were just pissed off you couldn't control me anymore."  Dean has to play piggy in the middle and stop them from fighting.   As usual he's always caught between the two.   Vampires aren't afraid of the sun and can only be killed by beheading.   They sleep during the day but can wake up.  

Dad tells of the legend of the Colt, going back to 1835 and Haley's Comet was overhead.   Samuel Colt made a special gun for a hunter and made 13 bullets.   He used 6 before he disappeared and so did the Colt.   Elkin found it and it can kill anything, like the demon.    Once a vampire gets a scent, it has it for life.   Dean is sent to the nearest funeral home for some Dead Man's blood.   So Dad can have some bonding time with Sam, more like.   Dad put $100 into bank when Sam was born for college for them both, every week.   This isn't the life he wanted for him.   He stopped being a father and became a drill sergeant after Mom died, cos he wanted to protect them.
Sam: "We're not different, not anymore.   What happened to Mom and Jess - we're probably a lot more in common than just about anyone," including Dean.   Dad spent the college fund on ammo.   Dean returns with blood.

Dean pretends to have car trouble and Kate stops.   Dean: "I'll pass, I usually draw the line at necrophilia."  She kisses Dean, actually replace kiss for snogs.   Dean doesn't stay with a chick for eternity.   An arrow is fired into her laced with dead man's blood.   Sam can't kill the other vampire, so again, Dean must do the killing for him.   Dad wants them to leave, wanting to go after the demon alone.   Dad: "I don't expect to make it out of this fight in one piece.   Your mother's dead, it almost killed me.   I can't watch my children die too.   I won't."  Almost prophetic this part, as if Dad new what was to come and we were being prepared for that outcome too.   Dean: "What happens if you die and we could have done something about it?...We're stronger as a family, you know we are."

They found Hank's head.   Kate wasn't there and Dean decapitates a vampire.   They'll trade her for the Colt.   Sam and Dean fight and Luther gets hold of Sam.   Dad has the Colt and fires at his head.   It shoots Luther dead.   They ignored a direct order.   Dean posits they saved him.   They are stronger as a family and agree to go after the demon together.

Something was coming in the next episode since there's so much talk of death and even Dean asks what they'll do if he dies.    That's why in a way it was time for Dad to make up with Sam, well as much as he could do.   Seems Deano was left out of that family stuff when he had to get the blood.   Dad only mentions this isn't the life he wanted for Sam, but he doesn't say the same about Dean.   Probably Dean didn't even know there was a college fund for him, seeing as he only started it after Sam was born, so apparently he had high aspirations for Sam and not so for Dean.   Again Sam feels an affinity towards Dad cos of what they both experienced at the hands of the demon, yet more fighting between Dad and Sam,  and Dean's tired of having to be the voice of reason.

There wasn't much in this episode about vampires, felt they were just introduced to explain their own version of vampire lore and to test out the Colt, after retrieving the Colt - to see that it actually works and managed to kill a vampire, but they have no way of knowing if it will work on a demon.

Thursday 12 July 2012

The Closer 7.5 "Forgive us Our Trespasses" Review

Sanchez (Raymond Cruz) tells Brenda (Kyra Sedgwick) that Morales (Jonathan Del Arco) has a DB at a funeral home without a death certificate.  All the squad are served with subpoenas.  Including, Buzz (Phillip P Keene) known as Francis B Watson.  Flynn (Tony Denison) asks "why Francis?"  Sanchez comes out and says what Brenda has been thinking all along when he comments, "who cares what happened to Turrell?"  Gabriel (Corey Reynolds) doesn't get served in relation to the wrongful death civil suit and everyone thinks that's strange.  

Flynn thinks Gabriel has already spoken with the attorney: Peter Goldman (Curtis Armstrong) that useless and irritating Herbert from Moonlighting.  Brenda insists they're only interested in her and she doesn't speak to Goldman.  He wants to know the names of the two officers with her and then they can make a deal.  She claims he can't accuse her fellow officers.

Terry (Hal Landon Jr) the funeral director says that Cliff (Peter Breitmayer) was a minister and the family brought him here, in a desperate bid to have him buried before anything inappropriate gets out.  Well that's just obstructing justice, especially since he didn't die of natural causes.  Flynn talks to his son, Chris (Michael Grant Terry) and suggests he can call the MPs to take him. Kendall (Ransford Doherty) takes the liver temperature and deduces Cliff died 2-3 hours ago and has traces of peticui in his eyes, suggesting strangulation.

Gabriel tells Provenza (GW Bailey) he went to church four times a week and should treat his wife, Kate, (Kate Burton) with some respect.  Provenza: "I'm not waiting here until Jesus comes back."

Kate tells Gabriel her husband was depressed and hung himself.   Gabriel gets her written consent to search her home and garage, which was a little too late considering they had already destroyed evidence, like the computers.

Tao (Michael Paul Chan) finds Cliff died at a motel as he traces his credit card and has "not checked out."  Provenza: "depends on your point of view" in relation to the not checking out comment, cos he has checked out, being dead.  A couple are caught cleaning up his motel room and Cliff turns out to be their son-in-law.  Well it appears the entire family is in on the act.

Pope (JK Simmons)  now has exercise equipment in his office, like his own personal gym.  Taylor (Robert Gossett) told him about Goldman and suggests she should get her own personal lawyer as Raydor also told her to do.  See as I said before, Gabriel is always the one who interrupts them both.  Goldman is still hanging around like a bad smell and keeps picking on Gabriel to achieve some dissension in the ranks.  Provenza kind of stands up for him, he's either good or he's a snitch, he hasn't been subpoenaed so he must have done something right, he adds.

Kate says Cliff called her from the motel and she was protecting the members.  Gabriel suggests they let her go and then follow her as she may lead them to the other woman, considering she left behind her undies and shoes.  Sanchez wonders if Brenda said anything to Goldman and his deal.

Morales finds Cliff didn't hang himself, as he flailed about on the floor.  There's red dye on his feet, which Brenda matches to the shoes.  Gabriel: "looks like we found Cinderella."
Brenda: "who turned him into a pumpkin?"

Brenda tells Fritz (Jon Tenney) that Kate thinks she's above the law.  Was that a subtle allusion to herself as well as far as the Turrell case is concerned.  Fritz also thinks she should contact her own attorney as Raydor suggested.  Seems everyone knows about this suggestion but it is for Brenda's own good as she just seems to be in denial over not doing anything wrong.  Brenda says Kate is more worried that people will find out he was a transvestite and is trying to wash the sin away.  That is definately a reference to Brenda and how she wishes this case would go away, but she's in denial as I said.  I was waiting for the Dorothy and Kansas allusion from Brenda as far as the red shoes were concerned.  (Re Wizard of Oz.)

The woman's name was Sindy (Jessalyn Wanlim) and he met her online.  Brenda believes in "thou shalt not kill."  Again that's relevant here not only to the case at hand but also to the Turrell case, she may not have killed him herself but she didn't do anything to prevent it either.  Chris tells her about his father wearing women's clothes and mentions Cliff being into auto-eroticism.  Tao says the "release mechanism" wasn't found, which was to prevent accidental choking.  Taylor tells Gabriel he should call Goldman and talk to him.  Sindy knew Cliff for four years and he wouldn't kill himself.  Kate knew about the dress-up.

Provenza asks what they should say on the depositions and that they should all decide what the truth is.  Tao puts together the family phone records and a lot of calls passed between them.  Sanchez accuses Gabriel of talking to Goldman already.  Which is exactly what Goldman wanted to happen.  Brenda tells them it's all about her.

All the family are brought in and watch the interrogation of Kate.  Brenda asks her why Cliff would kill himself dressed as a woman if he was ashamed.  He called her from the motel and Kate wants her to "leave my family out of it because this is all about me."  That's what Brenda just said to the others.  Kate confesses.  Brenda is going to arrest the rest of the family as accessories to murder after the fact.  Kate called her phone from the motel to give herself an alibi, but it's not Kate who killed him as she already knew what he was doing and even suggested the prostitute herself. She just wanted to keep it all a secret and was in denial over what he was like and what he was doing.

Brenda tells Chris no one called him since Cliff was already dead.  His actions were premeditated. Tao tells him he didn't get a call at the base either.  Chris found his e-mail account on the computer and followed him.  Kate confessed to protect him.  He saved a note from his friend Jeff, when he was at school and his father found the note.  He beat him and sent him into the military.  Then showed the note to Jeff's parents and Jeff killed himself.  Cliff preached at his funeral.  Chris took his belt and killed him.  His mother didn't stand up for him but always for her husband and he thought of killing her too.

Goldman serves Gabriel with a subpoena too and comments now he might know what "it's like to be singled out by your own gang."  Brenda says Gabriel asked to be subpoenaed and eats her usual cakes for comfort and continues this at home, as well as drinking wine.

Brenda says this decision was made by her alone.  Fritz can only say things will get worse whereas she was expecting a word of comfort from him.  He's been subpoenaed too as he volunteered to provide protection for Turrell's mother and sister.  He says Brenda was only doing her job.  She spills wine on the subpoena and asks over, "what have I done?"

Brenda increasingly finds everything coming done on her as if her world is about to come tumbling down over that Turrell case, which it is and The Closer continues to impress with this storyline in its final season.  Lots of religious Ten Commandments references here (as well as the title) which also mirror Brenda's own actions from that past case.  There doesn't seem to be anything she can do about it besides getting her own lawyer which is the only advice anyone and everyone seems to offer.  It wouldn't have helped her knowing that Fritz has become involved in this too as he was going to be her one piece of comfort.

That Pastor was hypocritical and having the nerve to send his son into the military as if that would make him change or his past actions go away.  Though that did give Chris the chance to get away from him.  His mother didn't fare much better just being interested in her husband and outward appearances of normality, morality and religiousness to everyone else.

CSI: Miami - 9.7: "On the Hook" Review


A man fishing attempts to prevent a boy from jumping from the bridge, before he is shot at by a sniper. Horatio investigates and as usual there's more going on beneath the surface.

A man fishing attempts to prevent another from jumping off the bridge and calls for help.   He's then shot at by a sniper.   Delko (Adam Rodriguez) questions Brad (Geoffrey Blake) as if he's in charge all of a sudden.   With Calleigh (Emily Procter) hiding behind the Hummer.   Brad doesn't know the origin of the shots and is taken into protective custody.   Shane (Collins Pennie) insists he wasn't going to jump.   Horatio (David Caruso) points out that the scuff marks on his shoes will match the railings.   Shane had to be involved somehow cos he wasn't shown for nothing.   Horatio doesn't get a very good one liner this time either.  Hey what's going on when he doesn't get to say something witty anymore.   Thinning out in that department then.

Walter (Omar Miller) and Ryan (Jonathan Togo) process the boat and Walter gets one up on Ryan for a change - good to see some of their old banter back from season 8.   Walter doesn't find any grooves on the round, a .223  and their search radius will be at least 100 yards.   Delko goes diving.   Walter tells Ryan to take the swamp and he'll take the rocks cos he's got allergies.   Ryan refuses cos of his shoes so Walter tells him he'll take the rocks and Ryan can take the swamp.   Ryan agrees before he realizes what he just said.

Calleigh has to direct Delko to the rounds under the water and finds the rounds were shot from a larger rifle.   They separated in flight so no grooves were left on the bullet, known as sabots.   These increase the length of the range so they'll have to triple their search area.   She calls Walter with this news and he figures out where the shooter was elevated on a building.   Here he finds the dumped rifle.   Tripp (Rex Linn) and Ryan question Haywood (Lamont Thompson) Brad's former business partner.   He's suing Brad but it's apparent he's not the shooter.   Ryan claims he could do something irrational but as he's clay pigeon shooting, his hands will be covered in GSR.   If it had been Haywood he wouldn't have missed.

Tripp recalls Shane and Tracy (Chelsea Tavares) from when he arrested them for shoplifting.   His probation officer Neil (Jaime Gomez) says Shane's in counselling.   Neil was my suspect straight off.

Calleigh examines the rifle and doesn't believe Haywood is the shooter, as he was inexperienced and didn't know how to use the gun and so he could have left DNA from his eye behind on the glass.   Which matches Dario (Joseph Julian Soria).   Another chase scene with Delko (I won't go into that again after my comments in previous episodes, sufficed to say you know where my loyalties lie when it comes to chase scenes, different show, CSI:NY and characters!)  Horatio just had to be waiting for him around that particular corner again.   Dario isn't into murder.   Brad doesn't know Dario.   Delko says he doesn't have a motive for the shooting which means someone made him do it - considering there aren't that many suspects, that was an obvious statement.

Shane rips apart furniture at home.   A disturbance call from his neighbour is answered by Horatio and Tripp.   Horatio had to say "Shoot Frank."  Shane recalls Brad was on the phone and mentioned Vic, which Horatio immediately differentiates as Vig.   Shane heard that from all the way up on the bridge.   Horatio calls Ryan again (his go-to guy) and gets him to check Brad's phone records.   Leading Walter and Ryan to a building rented by Brad under the company's name.   Brad is a bookie which Ryan knows all about.   See his gambling past never really leaves him.   Ryan knows a lot about this Walter comments, but Ryan says that's "in the past."  Walter doesn't question him further on it.   Such is there relationship, he takes Ryan's word on it.   Walter also finds rice paper in a bucket.   Rice paper is water soluble and it's a way to get rid of evidence, so it's used by bookies for bets.   (Clue for later.)

Horatio prevents Brad from leaving and could charge him with bookmaking now, when he notices a flash from a train.   Seconds later shots rain through the lab.   Never heard a train pass by there before as we do in this episode.

Ryan and Walter check out the station, they're left to do all the grunt work these days, with Delko barely lifting a finger to gather evidence anymore.   Walter again notices the absence of grooves on the bullets.   Ryan thinks they should check the track where Walter finds a piece of wood and Walter comments he's found one sniper today, here goes his second.   Ryan finds pieces from a  hardware store dumped in the trash and Walter gets oil on his gloves.   Ryan finds casings without stria.   Horatio finally in the lab, we know that's him and if you didn't recognize his hands/arms then you'd be surprised to see him there too.   Made a change.  

Horatio puts the pieces together to reveal a gun pipe.   Walter points out the barrel was the wood, door hinge was the hammer, where the spring creates force to activate the primer and the nail was the firing pin.   Ryan says there were no manufacturer's branding explaining the absence of any marks on the bullet.   Horatio posits any mistake will render it dangerous and it's untraceable, until now.   He recalls Shane.   Someone put him up to it.   He has a burn on his arm and he was threatened.   He and Dario were both working for someone.  

Tripp finds they weren't in jail at the same time, but they do have Neil in common.   As I said.   Dario asks for his probation officer, Neil.   Dario was played and threatened he'd find himself back inside accused of drug dealing.   Neil gave him the ammo and the gun but there's nothing concrete to put him away.   As Tripp says it's one felon's word against another.   Shane went to the bridge to prevent the shooting, that was obvious too.  Neil threatened Tracy with jail and Neil provided him with plans to build a gun.   How pathetic was that putting it down on paper and yet he didn't want him to buy a store rifle.   He left the plans in the sink.   It's Mr Wolfe on the retrieval trail again, what's wrong with Delko getting his hands dirty.

Calleigh claims if the pigment is left in the tissue then the forensic light will pick it up and the writing is matched to Neil.  Who  is about to rape Tracy when Horatio arrives just in the nick to save her.   Horatio: "I am loaded with evidence, my friend."  As he points his gun at him.   Then proceeds to throw him out the window to show him what the next 30 years will be like for him inside.   Shane tells Tracy he has to go away for doing something bad.   Horatio puts his shades on in a satisfied pose.

Horatio there to save the day is hardly a surprise anymore, but neither was him throwing Neil out the window.   Hey he could argue Neil resisted arrest.   Point being it's not Horatio's first portrayal of 'crossing the so called thin blue line'.   In an earlier episode in 6.17 To Kill A Predator where a TV show uses a sting operation to expose men who prey on teenage girls, where Horatio catches a man connected with the show about to prey on a girl and approaches the suspect with menace in his face.   He was trying to seduce the teen and here Neil was about to rape her.   In that episode we're not actually shown what Horatio does to him as we fade out.   The episode All In signified Horatio's turning point in his character after he was out for revenge for Marisol in Rio.

CSI:Miami seems to be delving into another era of of action hero episodes and away from the solid forensics.   Delko closely following Horatio's lead in demonstrating such "toughness" too.   Though Horatio's action in calling Ryan to check on Brad's phone records appears to be justified since it's in his interests to find out who the shooter was.   Walter got more to do this episode and it took me to the end to realize Natalia (Eva Larue) was absent!   Viewers may recall Jaime Gomez from Nash Bridges.

Snipers, shootings, chase scenes, seen them all before not only in CSI:Miami but also CSI:NY.   The shooting of the lab was reminiscent of CSI:NY episode 7.21 Life Sentence.  when the lab was shot to smithereens.   Also in CSI:NY 2.6 Youngblood, Flack (Eddie Cahill) and Mac (Gary Sinise) can't work out what sort of a gun the killer used as the blast is unusual.   The GSR pattern doesn't seem to match any conventional weapon until they determine that  a home made gun was used.   Also a sniper in season 7.7 Hide Sight of CSI:NY.

Wednesday 11 July 2012

NCIS - 7.24: "Rule Fifty-One" Review


Gibbs is held captive by Paloma from the Reynosa drug cartel and she knows he killed Pedro. Ziva is sworn in as a US citizen, but Gibbs is missing from the ceremony.

Gibbs (Mark Harmon) knows Paloma Reynosa (Jacqueline Obradors) and the quote she uses from Tennesse Williams: about 'all being sentenced to solitary confinement inside our skins for life.'  She asks if he is a 'frank' man.   Referring to "paragons of frankness."  Lots of references to frank here, i.e.  Mike Franks (Muse Watson) .   Gibbs doesn't drink Scotch.   Meanwhile, Tony (Michael Weatherly) is upset Ziva (Cote de Pablo) is becoming a citizen, it can't be happening, "how could they let you in...never been more disappointed in my government."  Ziva passed her exams.   Gibbs isn't at work and she comments it's not "the first time he's run off on his own."  Referring to his 'retirement' at the end of season 3 and early season 4.   Vance (Rocky Carroll) says they need to concentrate on what they're good at.   Tony just loves stirring doesn't he, asking "What would that be?"
Vance replies, "If you don't know, I'm not gonna tell ya."

Tony: "Pretty tasty and cryptic piece of rejection there" from Vance.   Or as some would say, get over it, it's not the first rejection Tony's ever got and it won't be the last.   Ziva noticed it was like the "red headed step child."  She got that saying right, maybe being a newly fledged citizen is rubbing off on her.   Vance says McGee (Sean Murray) was friendly with Alejandro (Marco Sanchez) and wants all the information kept from Allison Hart (Rena Sofer.)  Margaret Allison Hart Esq is employed by Bell.   They found Bell's DB and other DBS were associates of Bell.   San Diego agents will help McGee out.   McGee asks about Gibbs and Mike Franks.   Alejandro doesn't look convincing when he's surprised at Gibbs being in Mexico.   Always said there was something fishy about him.

Cue Gibbs and the mind games being played, when he says it's not the Vic but the method employed for a perfect murder.  He tells Paloma to kill him now cos he's not helping her.   She views him as a valuable federal agent.   Can't force Gibbs to work with her, he asks where her evidence is and for her to prove he's guilty of the crime.   Gibbs: "I know something about convictions.   I get 'em and I got 'em!"  Paloma threatens everyone Gibbs knows, including Mike and Gibbs' ex mother-in-law, his workers and his father, whom she'll deal with in person.   Gibbs posits she's doing him favours now.   She wants him to deliver a package.

Tony and Ziva will go to Mexico.   McGee mentioned Gibbs to Alejandro and he's tracked Gibbs.   Vance questions if Ducky (David McCallum) and Abby (Pauley Perrette) have finished with the Mexican cold case.   Vance touches his eye and winks at Tony.   Who comments Vance and Gibbs have a "wink, wink, nudge, nudge language."  Vance can't green light an op and has to have them pick up the slack.   Alejandro arrives at her villa, he got there easily, so obviously he's definitely involved.   He takes Gibbs away feigning a rescue and then brings him right back to the villa.   He had the task force investigate the cold case.   Gibbs asks if that's a coincidence.   Abby didn't stop the report, Gibbs is "dead certain."  When Alejandro says someone stopped it.  As we know, there are no coincidences as far as Gibbs is concerned.   Alejandro is Paloma's brother.

Ziva renounces her ties to Israel.   Abby hijacks the lift and quotes Rule 44.   Tony asks if someone's out to get her.   Ziva says she told Gibbs to write down his rules (which he actually does.)  The number forties are for emergencies only.   Alejandro doesn't have the report so they have to do things Paloma's way.   Gibbs mentions a riddle about a man in a room, without doors or windows, only a table and a mirror, so how does he get out?  Jason Dean (Dylan Bruno) answers it, by looking in the mirror, you see what you saw.   Take the saw and cut the table in half.   Two halves make a (w)hole.   Gibbs' father taught him that.   Alejandro holds the gun to Gibbs and he tells him to shoot, but he can't.   He's never shot anyone before.   Gibbs never lost sleep over Pedro, their father.

Tony and Ziva find themselves in yet another plane, as they were in the season 6 finale.   Only Ziva didn't come back that time.   Ziva won't get back on the plane without Gibbs, but he's there to meet them.   Tony says they didn't find Mike, but he doesn't want to talk about it.  His family left town the day before.   Tony always questions Gibbs, who replies, it's a "mess I've got to clean up." That's rule 45, paraphrased by Gibbs.   Tony then finds McGee and tells him his new best buddy, Alejandro, threw him out.   Vance tells Gibbs he doesn't need his permission and Tony notices the briefcase on Vance's desk.

Ducky's mind has gone blank and then recalls a golf story, courtesy of Palmer (Brian Dietzen).   Gibbs asks his father (Ralph Waite) to stay with someone else.   Abby finds the bullets match Gibbs' weapon.   Ducky believes this shows Gibbs as a murderer, but he didn't kill the man.   As a scientist Ducky knows he didn't.   Ducky mentions it's not a coincidence that the pattern of the knife matches the one used on Macy, so Dean also killed Bell.   Ziva tells them there's only one way anyone would get Gibbs' gun, over his dead body that is.   As Ducky eloquently puts it, "pry it from his cold, dead hand."  Tony comments tracing stuff on the computer is McGee's work, just like a fish in a shark's mouth picks things out.   Tony: "Dead men don't make phonecalls."  Tony's doing this without him, McGee that is and not Gibbs.

Ziva traces the phone, it's active.   Dean is calling Gibbs.   Gibbs looks at them and Vance looks at Gibbs.   Gibbs throws the phone on the desk and Vance picks it up (so he can plant a bug.) Vance comments he spent lots of time in LA and went on the tour of Warner Bros costumes of Casablanca (1942).   Different philosophies, he thought of Rick (Humphrey Bogart) and Louis (Claude Rains) from Casablanca.   Gibbs is Rick and Vance hates being Louis, going behind his back.   He orders Gibbs to tell him what's happening.   Saying his life doesn't revolve around Gibbs.  Vance can make a call, and Gibbs replies, "because my life revolves around" Vance.   Dean is on Bell's plane and Alejandro is on the next flight.   Vance changed Gibbs' phone battery.

Abby says Gibbs is sorry, she hates it when he breaks his rule.   Mike's finger was shot off but he's still alive.   Abby: "Superheroes have super IDs."  Allison thought Bell was a good man, otherwise Ducky tells her, she wouldn't work for him.   He wanted to know more about Gibbs and Ducky tells her, now "You're feeling you backed the wrong man."  Allison knows about Ducky's psychology degree.   Vance wants Dean from the plane.   Tony leads the mission and there's a shoot-out.   Pretty similar to season 4 episode with Jenny's (Lauren Holly) mission to get la grenouille.   Gibbs removes a box from the crates.   As if he'd do anything illegal.  Vance comments on the slugs being from a .45, which Mike uses.

Gibbs meets with Alejandro, who sent Dean here, thinking he was in the clear.   But Dean was the fall guy.   Gibbs didn't open the box and quotes Tennesse Williams from Camino Real, "We have to distrust each other.  It is our only defence against betrayal." Oh talk about coincidences, when I wrote my Alias companion, Inter Alias: An Unofficial and Unauthorized Guide to Alias, I used this exact quote in my book!  Vance drops by, coincidentally, ha, not.   He's told there's candy in the box.   Abby's report was sent to the task force.   Vance plays back the recording made from Gibbs' phone.   Alejandro didn't say anything to incriminate himself.  Obviously Gibbs couldn't tell him what's happening and thought he could buy some time.   Gibbs trusts Vance and would follow his lead everyday.

Vance: "Worst enemies hide in plain sight." He tells Gibbs about a story with Humphrey Bogart where the director needed him for one more shot on the cafe set of Casablanca.   All he wanted him to do was to look and nod, when Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid) wanted to play the Marseillaise, Rick gives him the okay.  "The character makes a commitment, makes a choice."  Vance says the cold case from Mexico isn't his business.   Abby never gave him the report and if something happens with Alejandro Vance doesn't have to say anything.    Vance hums the Marseillaise and they walk off together just like the ending in Casablanca with Louis and Rick, where Louis comments "This could be the start of a beautiful friendship."

Casablanca, one of my fave movies and I was awaiting for this to come up in the show, as I always said that Gibbs and Vance have that sort of a friendship, like Rick and Louis, it's unspoken.   Vance sends Tony to Mexico to trail Alejandro.   Gibbs is in a suit and Allison asks if he believes in right and wrong?  She gives him Abby's report.   Tony and Gibbs are both absent from Ziva's ceremony.   Even Vance was there, well he kind of had to be.   Gibbs and Allison are "both sworn representatives of the law." Gibbs has his own code.   Gibbs didn't want her to stop the report.    He doesn't apologize, there's a rule against it.   She wanted to know who he is/was as a person.   As an officer of the law she can beat his report.

Mike meets up with Tony in Mexico.   He'll take care of Alejandro, he can still shoot with his thumb and calls Tony 'Probie'.   Allison asks why he's a cop.   Gibbs has his rules and he wrote them down.   Flash to Shannon reading Gibbs' Rules, they were her idea.   Rule 13: never, ever involve a lawyer.    Flash to  season 3 episodes 23 and 24, when Mike and Gibbs spoke about his wanting to be a cop.   If Gibbs wants to be a cop, he must "let the old stuff go and let new stuff take its place."
Gibbs: "I think I'd be a good cop."

Gibbs writes down Rule 51: Sometimes you're wrong.   Paloma visits Gibbs' father at the store, he stayed anyway.   I'm sure I mentioned Casablanca in one on my episodes.   Anyway so that's the Pedro storyline done with, but is continued on with Mike gunning for Alejandro and Paloma going for Gibbs' father.  For her it'll be a case of 'an eye for an eye.'  Abby sent the report and it was intercepted by Allison, who decides that it's Gibbs she wants to help now.   Kind of her last good deed before she's kicked off the show, oh that was harsh.

Tony is usually sent out on these missions alone, to take care of business, just as Jenny sent him undercover in season 4.   Ziva must be wondering where both Gibbs and Tony are.   So a lot of things concluded here, like her becoming a citizen.   Rule 13 was also used in 6.7 Collateral Damage.   Rule 45 is: clean up your mess, here Gibbs paraphrases it to say he has to clean up his mess, which Tony tells Ziva  "that's 45 basically."  Allison finally calls Gibbs, "Special Agent" and not "Mr."  Vance mentions his work at NCIS:Los Angeles and also mentions Hetty.

Tony claims Vance winked at him, meaning he gave him the 'go-ahead' to get Gibbs.   Dean used Gibbs' gun to fire into Bell after he was already DB, to make it appear Gibbs shot him, but TOD would discredit that.   He also severed Bell's head and hands to make it difficult to ID him, which he didn't do to Macy.   Darby Stanchfield who plays Shannon, appears to play lots of wives, she was Castle's wife and also played a wife in a season 9 episode of CSI:Miami.

My NCIS An Unofficial and Unauthorized Guide to NCIS - The TV Show which you may or may not find interesting, appealing.
It's available here:  http://www.lulu.com/shop/mila-hasan/my-ncis-an-unofficial-and-unauthorized-guide-to-ncis-the-tv-show/paperback/product-20366043.html and at amazon.