Post by CC Fan on Jun 1, 2005 0:40:49 GMT -5
Recap Provided By Cellogal
March 6, 1993
As 10,000 Maniacs’ “These Are Days” sets the mood, a blonde woman sits with a dark-haired young man in a very white, very bright kitchen. It’s really a beautiful effect. The woman tells the guy that she’s always thought of both of them as her boys. He reaches up and caresses her hair, and she tells him that he’s right, it’s best not to cry.
A blonde young man enters, looking around nervously for something. The dark-haired guy tells the blonde, Colin, that if they don’t leave soon, they’ll be late, but Colin can’t find “Mr. Wilson.” From the first words out of his mouth, it becomes clear that Colin is slow, but very sweet, in a Forrest Gump kind of way. The dark-haired guy tells Colin that Mr. Wilson can stay home, but Colin says he already told Mr. Wilson about the movie, how the dinosaurs get out and take over the island. The blonde woman, who is clearly his mother, asks him if he’s checked the hutch, and Colin glances over and sees a stuffed rabbit in a basket. He greets Mr. Wilson enthusiastically, thanks his mom, and says he wishes she could come with them. She says she knows, but that she should rest. Colin agrees, saying she’s tired, then asks how old Mr. Wilson is. The dark-haired guy guesses that he’s 3 or 4, and Colin is concerned that he’s too young to get into Jurassic Park. Colin’s mom spins a story, as only moms can, about how Mr. Wilson ages in rabbit years, not person years, and how to Colin, Mr. Wilson seems young, but he’s actually lived a good long time. Colin is satisfied with this answer, but suddenly looks up and notices that his mom appears to be near tears. He asks her what’s wrong, and she’s clearly having a Mom Moment: here he is, her big boy, about to go out on his own. He reiterates his wish that she could come, but Mom tells him that he should save his wishes for something big and important, and Colin finishes her thought: because wishes always come true.
This tender moment is interrupted by the dark-haired guy, who tells Colin that it’s time to go. Colin kisses his mom on the cheek, and she watches them go, and I finally figure out where I know the mom from: She was Kelly, Woody Boyd’s wife, on Cheers! Now that we’ve got that cleared up, we can proceed.
We travel to some railroad tracks, where we see Mr. Wilson lying forlornly next to the tracks, and cops swarming everywhere with flashlights. Colin’s bloodied body is placed in a bag and zipped up, and from the typewritten form we see next, we learn that Colin Miller’s death was ruled an accident.
Cemetery. It’s a frigid morning, but Lilly’s outside, standing in front of their car. Scotty rolls down the window and asks her if she’s cold. She says she’s not, and I don’t doubt it. I can see the steam coming out of her ears from here. Scotty says he’s got a couple more hand-warmers in the car, but Lilly dismisses them as “those chemical things you crush up” and says she’s good. Scotty finally seems to pick up on the fact that she’s mad at him, because he gets out of the car and stands next to her, pulling out a few sketches from a folder he’s carrying, and asks, for clarification, about someone leaving the drawings at a grave. Lilly says they’re left on the anniversary of Colin Miller’s death, three years running. They all show a kid being hit by a train, with other kids standing by, and Lilly explains that Colin’s death was ruled an accident, but the pictures make it look like someone’s trying to say different. Scotty, attempting to diffuse the situation with humor, wonders why they don’t come into Homicide to say it, pointing out the myriad advantages of free coffee and central heat. Scotty’s playing to a tough crowd, though, as Lilly won’t even look at him. Finally, he tells Lilly that he knows Chris told her, but Lilly doesn’t want to talk about it. He starts to apologize if he gave her the wrong impression, but she insists that they’re at work, so they should just work. Scotty looks like he’s about to say more, but they’re interrupted by Lilly noticing a dark-haired guy kneeling at one of the graves.
They approach him and ask his name, and we see, through the magic of flashbacks, that he’s the guy from earlier: Nathan Hicks. Scotty asks him if he knew Colin, and Nathan answers that he took care of Colin. Lilly surmises that Nathan would know that it’s the anniversary of his death, and Nathan confirms it, saying that’s why he’s there. Scotty asks if Nathan comes every year, and Nathan says it’s the first time he’s come. Lilly asks if he’s ever put anything on the grave, and he says he doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Scotty suggests that Nathan take a ride with them, and he wordlessly agrees. But when they get back to the car, we see that someone has left another drawing underneath the windshield wiper. Oh, snap!
Credits.
Squad room. Lilly’s got Nathan and the drawings at a table, and he’s saying he took Colin to Jurassic Park and lost him in the bathroom. Lilly asks why Colin might have gone to the tracks; Nathan replies that they were familiar, that Colin walked that way home from school. Scotty asks how long Nathan knew Colin, and he says he knew him three years: that he picked up Colin from school a few times a week, and looked at his homework. Scotty surmises that Nathan was Colin’s babysitter; Nathan chuckles and says Colin needed someone, since Colin’s dad was out of the picture, and the one who's name we shall not say worked as many shifts as she could at the supermarket. Nathan explains that Colin was limited, and needed extra care. He and the one who's name we shall not say looked out for Colin until she got breast cancer, which eventually killed her.
Scotty asks Nathan if he knows who might have done the drawings, Nathan doesn’t. Lilly asks if there was anyone who might have disliked Colin, and Nathan replies that the only people Colin really knew were at his school, and there, it could have been anybody, since Colin was loving, trusting, and “everything that kids that age can’t be.” Lilly correctly guesses that it was “open season on the slow kid.” Nathan looks reflective, signaling an impending flashback, and…sweet! “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers starts up! I’ll try my best to pay attention to the flashback instead of rocking out to the song, but no guarantees.
In front of Colin’s high school. Nathan asks a couple of girls if they’ve seen Colin; they giggle and point to a fountain, where Colin is splashing around. Nathan thanks them tersely and heads for the fountain, where he sees Colin gathering up a bunch of valentine cards, saying that someone told him they’d fly. Colin adds that it’s “her birthday”, and “he” said she would like them, that it’d be magic, but now they’re all mush, and he can’t give Leah mush for her birthday. A curly-haired kid shows up then and points out helpfully that it’s not as bad as last time, because Colin’s at least still got his underwear. Nathan asks the kid, Josh, what happened, and Josh said some kid told Colin he could make the valentines fly. Colin points out that they kind of flew, for a little bit. Aw. Nathan asks who told Colin this, but Colin interrupts him, wondering how Leah’s going to know he loves her if the valentines are mush. Nathan thinks for a minute, then tells him to make a wish; that fountains are the best places to make a wish about feelings. Josh nods in confirmation, and Colin stands up and shuts his eyes tightly, then wishes for Leah to know how much he loves her. Again, aw. He opens his eyes and smiles, then giddily says that it worked, that he can feel it working. Nathan helps him out of the fountain.
Nathan says this was an average day, that there were worse. Scotty asks if the one who's name we shall not say ever thought about putting Colin in a special school, but Nathan says that money was tight; he got paid in sandwiches sometimes, and the one who's name we shall not say would type up his college applications. Lilly asks if Josh would know who had it in for Colin, and Nathan says Josh was the closest thing Colin had to a friend.
Josh’s apartment. Josh answers the detectives’ knock and asks if they’re with the groceries. “No,” Vera replies, “and we ain’t housekeeping, either.” Heh. Lilly flashes her badge and asks if they can come in, not waiting for a reply before she follows Vera into the apartment. Josh says he doesn’t really have visitors, and that he tries to limit his social interface. Lilly says they’re there about Colin Miller, and Josh says it was twelve years ago today. Vera asks what else he knows about that, and Josh says Colin was hit by a train, that it was an accident. Lilly asks if he thinks different, but before Josh can reply, Vera pulls a rather violent drawing off the fridge and asks about it. Josh says it’s a picture of his old boss, and Vera asks if this was before Josh’s “limited interface thing.” Hee. Lilly realizes that the pictures were drawn by the same artist, and asks Josh if he’s trying to say something about how Colin died. Josh insists he doesn’t know how Colin died. Vera reminds Josh of the pictures left on Colin’s grave, and Josh says it’s just something for Colin. Lilly points out that today the picture was left on her car, and Josh says that maybe he wanted a live person to see it. Lilly asks if the guy on the tracks is Colin, and Josh denies it, saying the two kids standing by the tracks are him and Colin, and the guy on the tracks is Mack.
Railyard, where we hear Stone Temple Pilots’ “Plush.” An ugly galoot, presumably Mack, has Mr. Wilson, and Colin begs Mack not to hurt him. Mack and his galoot friends laugh, and Mack if he’s really hurting Mr. Wilson. Colin tearfully says yes, and Mack suddenly agrees, saying he can hear Mr. Wilson crying. I hate this scene already, but I do have to commend the writers on the pun in the song’s title. Colin charges Mack, trying to get Mr. Wilson, but Mack dodges him, then says all Colin has to do to get Mr. Wilson back is say please. Colin does, but Mack rips Mr. Wilson’s arm off. Colin screams, and Mack tosses the arm aside, telling Colin to look at what he made him do. Colin starts crying, and Mack suddenly loses interest in Mr. Wilson, tossing him to the side, and decides that punching Colin would be more fun. He knocks him to the ground and starts kicking him, his kicks punctuated by calling Colin a “stupid pansy ‘tard.” See? I told you I hated this scene. Mack then orders Colin to “stay away from her,” and leaves him crying on the tracks while he heads off with the other galoots.
Josh explains that the drawings are what they would have done to Mack had they been strong enough, and Vera confirms that Josh never acts on his artistic visions. Lilly asks Josh who Mack wanted Colin to stay away from, and Josh answers that it was Mack’s girlfriend, Leah. Lilly asks if this had to do with the valentines, and Josh says it wasn’t the valentines, but the music room: Colin jumped Leah. Josh says Colin was the nicest guy on earth, but he was still a guy.
Hallway, PPD. Lilly explains that a sexual assault charge was filed against Colin, but then dropped, as the matter was settled privately. Vera says that if Colin messed with Mack’s girlfriend, Mack’s got motive. Stillman asks if Colin had a history of violent behavior, and Lilly says he doesn’t. Stillman wonders where he learned it, then, since Dad was out of the picture. Vera theorizes, as only Vera can, that it might have been native, since he’s heard that “those special kids” get back what they’ve lost mentally in the sex department, with interest. Lilly gives him a withering look. Stillman tells them to call DHS and get a look at Colin’s file. Scotty comes up then with Mack’s record: a “misdemeanor buffet” of vandalism, resisting arrest, and similar charges. “Just my type,” Vera comments, and Scotty asks if he wants to go have a chat. He then tells Lilly that Leah’s with Jeffries.
Squad room. Leah tells Lilly and Jeffries that she hasn’t thought about Colin for a long time. Jeffries says they heard there was an incident in the music room. Leah confirms it, then recites the story: she was in the music room after school, Colin came in, started kissing her, wouldn’t stop, and then Mack walked in, luckily. Jeffries correctly surmises that Leah has told this story a lot, and Lilly reminds her that Mack gave Colin a beating for that, and asks if it was her idea. Leah says it was Mack’s idea, that it was the one thing he did that her parents approved of: her mother collected Emily Post etiquette books, and Mack’s big hobby was seeing how far he could spit. Lilly concludes that Mack was Leah’s rebellion, and she says that it was “beauty and the beast,” that every girl tries it once. Lilly gives us a cryptic smile, and I wonder who, exactly, she’s thinking about here. Jeffries asks if there was any fallout other than the beating, and Leah says that while Mack went after Colin, her parents went after Colin’s mom.
Leah’s parents’ house, where Colin, the one who's name we shall not say, and Leah’s family are sitting on couches facing each other while 10,000 Maniacs’ “Trouble Me” plays. Leah’s dad asks where Colin’s father is, the one who's name we shall not say says that he’s not part of Colin’s life. Leah’s dad says he can change that with a civil suit against both of them for what Colin did to Leah. Leah, for her part, looks like she is fervently wishing that the earth would just open up and swallow her whole. the one who's name we shall not say says that Colin’s sorry about what happened, and so is she, but the apology falls on deaf ears, as Leah’s dad goes on to talk about the criminal investigation. the one who's name we shall not say protests that Colin’s not dangerous, he just misunderstood, and Leah’s dad says they can’t risk him “misunderstanding.” the one who's name we shall not say suggests discussing options, and Leah’s mom says they’d like Colin to attend a different school, that it could be better for him to be with kids more like himself. the one who's name we shall not say says she doesn’t have the money, and Leah’s dad suggests a home or hospital. the one who's name we shall not say insists that they do fine; Leah’s dad disagrees. He then orders her to pull Colin out of the school or they’ll go ahead with civil and criminal cases. the one who's name we shall not say tells Colin that they’re leaving, and they start to go, but Colin turns back, apologizes to Leah, and then tells her she can have Mr. Wilson if she wants. She takes the rabbit, and Colin leaves. Dang it, show. I wasn’t expecting to need tissues until the end!
Leah says that Colin was gone by the next Monday, and she never saw him again. Jeffries surmises that she wasn’t totally behind the meeting, and she says she wasn’t behind that or the beatdown; that all it accomplished was making Mack feel good. She says she doesn’t think Colin knew what he was doing, but that Mack did.
Mack’s workplace, where he’s confirming that he remembers “the retard.” Nice to see that Mack has lived up to his full potential. Scotty asks about the beating he gave Colin at the train tracks, and Mack says Colin tried to rape Leah and needed a lesson, and that with a “guy like that,” physical violence is the only way he’ll learn. Vera sarcastically comments about the deep thought this conclusion must have required, and Mack retorts that he remembered Colin and asks what else they want to know. Vera and Scotty ask if Colin ever needed a refresher course, and Mack seems shocked that they’re asking how Colin died. Vera confirms this, and asks if Mack killed Colin. Mack tells them to get real; Scotty reminds Mack that he had a temper and a motive. Mack says that what Colin got he had coming to him, but it was what happened after that was really screwed up.
Railyard. Mack and the galoots are walking away, and Mack asks who has the brewskies. The galoots look at one another and shrug, and Mack sarcastically pronounces them geniuses and starts to go get the beers himself. He stops short when he sees Josh kicking Colin, echoing Mack’s previous insults. Colin rises to his knees and tells Josh that it’s okay, that he knows he makes Josh tired, that he also makes his mom tired. Colin says he’ll have to go stay with his dad while his mom goes to the hospital and gets some rest. Josh says that the one who's name we shall not say isn’t tired, she’s sick, and is going to die. Colin’s bubble bursts, and Josh adds insult to injury by telling Colin that his dad hates him because he’s “too stupid to live.” Colin starts crying, and Josh says that maybe he’ll just put Colin out of his misery, then shoves him back down onto the tracks. Mack, for his part, at least has the decency to look suitably horrified.
Interview room. Vera puts one of Josh’s drawings down in front of him and says he thought Josh was Colin’s friend. Lilly asks if this is why he gave Colin a follow-up beatdown. Josh replies that this is exactly why he keeps to himself: to avoid stuff like being accused of murder because he happens to be weird. Lilly asks if Josh, as the second-lowest guy on the food chain, needed to beat up on the lowest guy, and Josh says it makes you feel good for a minute, but that he didn’t kill Colin. “No, you just kicked his ass and threatened him a little,” Vera says sarcastically. Josh admits that he wasn’t great to Colin, but he liked him. Lilly doesn’t believe this, but Josh says Colin was nice to him, and that doesn’t happen a lot.
Squad room. Stillman, Jeffries, and Scotty have new information on Colin’s dad, Richard: that he wasn’t doing too well financially, spent most of the 90s skating just shy of bankruptcy, and never paid a cent of child support. Scotty says this isn’t surprising, since Richard divorced the one who's name we shall not say as soon as Colin’s condition got found out. Stillman shows Lilly the one who's name we shall not say’s medical records: that she beat cancer in 1989, but it came back with a vengeance in 1992. “This kid’s got all the luck,” Scotty observes. Lilly concludes that, if the one who's name we shall not say died, all the burden of caring for Colin would fall on Richard. Vera asks how much of a burden, and Scotty says the expense would have completely wiped Richard out in a couple of years. Jeffries says it’s lucky for Richard that Colin died, and Lilly grimly says that they have a word for that kind of luck. She doesn’t share that word with us, though.
Scotty’s apartment. He’s getting ready to leave for work, and there’s still a lump in his bed, which I grudgingly presume is Christina. Sure enough, as he unplugs his cell phone from the charger, she wakes up and tells him that she found another place, starting tonight. Scotty seems surprised at this and says he’s not kicking her out, but she’s firm. He’s been really nice, she says, but she’s going. He nods, and says he tried talking to Lil. “That was brave,” Christina comments, and I gotta say I agree with her on that one. Scotty sits down on the bed and tells Chris that Lilly didn’t want to go into it, and Christina correctly concludes that Scotty got the Deep Freeze, and adds that she’s familiar with it. They sit for a minute, reflecting on how chilly it is in the Lilly Rush Deep Freeze, which, despite the Nausea Factor of this whole relationship, is kind of a cute moment. Then Scotty asks Chris why they get along so bad. Yes, please, tell us. We’ve been wondering for, oh, six or seven episodes at this point. Enough already. Anyway, Chris says that there was a “thing” with Lilly’s fiancé. Scotty seems surprised that Lilly was engaged, and Chris says it was nine years back, that they all loved the guy, until one night Lilly was out late on patrol, and the guy has a beer too many. She starts to go on, but Scotty stops her, saying he thinks he’s hearing too much, and Chris says she just reminds Lilly of that time, and of her ex-fiance. Scotty looks at Chris for a minute, then tells her she’s helped him in hard times. She knows. They smile at each other for a minute, and then Scotty says he’ll see her later and leaves. She watches him go, then sinks back down into bed.
March 6, 1993
As 10,000 Maniacs’ “These Are Days” sets the mood, a blonde woman sits with a dark-haired young man in a very white, very bright kitchen. It’s really a beautiful effect. The woman tells the guy that she’s always thought of both of them as her boys. He reaches up and caresses her hair, and she tells him that he’s right, it’s best not to cry.
A blonde young man enters, looking around nervously for something. The dark-haired guy tells the blonde, Colin, that if they don’t leave soon, they’ll be late, but Colin can’t find “Mr. Wilson.” From the first words out of his mouth, it becomes clear that Colin is slow, but very sweet, in a Forrest Gump kind of way. The dark-haired guy tells Colin that Mr. Wilson can stay home, but Colin says he already told Mr. Wilson about the movie, how the dinosaurs get out and take over the island. The blonde woman, who is clearly his mother, asks him if he’s checked the hutch, and Colin glances over and sees a stuffed rabbit in a basket. He greets Mr. Wilson enthusiastically, thanks his mom, and says he wishes she could come with them. She says she knows, but that she should rest. Colin agrees, saying she’s tired, then asks how old Mr. Wilson is. The dark-haired guy guesses that he’s 3 or 4, and Colin is concerned that he’s too young to get into Jurassic Park. Colin’s mom spins a story, as only moms can, about how Mr. Wilson ages in rabbit years, not person years, and how to Colin, Mr. Wilson seems young, but he’s actually lived a good long time. Colin is satisfied with this answer, but suddenly looks up and notices that his mom appears to be near tears. He asks her what’s wrong, and she’s clearly having a Mom Moment: here he is, her big boy, about to go out on his own. He reiterates his wish that she could come, but Mom tells him that he should save his wishes for something big and important, and Colin finishes her thought: because wishes always come true.
This tender moment is interrupted by the dark-haired guy, who tells Colin that it’s time to go. Colin kisses his mom on the cheek, and she watches them go, and I finally figure out where I know the mom from: She was Kelly, Woody Boyd’s wife, on Cheers! Now that we’ve got that cleared up, we can proceed.
We travel to some railroad tracks, where we see Mr. Wilson lying forlornly next to the tracks, and cops swarming everywhere with flashlights. Colin’s bloodied body is placed in a bag and zipped up, and from the typewritten form we see next, we learn that Colin Miller’s death was ruled an accident.
Cemetery. It’s a frigid morning, but Lilly’s outside, standing in front of their car. Scotty rolls down the window and asks her if she’s cold. She says she’s not, and I don’t doubt it. I can see the steam coming out of her ears from here. Scotty says he’s got a couple more hand-warmers in the car, but Lilly dismisses them as “those chemical things you crush up” and says she’s good. Scotty finally seems to pick up on the fact that she’s mad at him, because he gets out of the car and stands next to her, pulling out a few sketches from a folder he’s carrying, and asks, for clarification, about someone leaving the drawings at a grave. Lilly says they’re left on the anniversary of Colin Miller’s death, three years running. They all show a kid being hit by a train, with other kids standing by, and Lilly explains that Colin’s death was ruled an accident, but the pictures make it look like someone’s trying to say different. Scotty, attempting to diffuse the situation with humor, wonders why they don’t come into Homicide to say it, pointing out the myriad advantages of free coffee and central heat. Scotty’s playing to a tough crowd, though, as Lilly won’t even look at him. Finally, he tells Lilly that he knows Chris told her, but Lilly doesn’t want to talk about it. He starts to apologize if he gave her the wrong impression, but she insists that they’re at work, so they should just work. Scotty looks like he’s about to say more, but they’re interrupted by Lilly noticing a dark-haired guy kneeling at one of the graves.
They approach him and ask his name, and we see, through the magic of flashbacks, that he’s the guy from earlier: Nathan Hicks. Scotty asks him if he knew Colin, and Nathan answers that he took care of Colin. Lilly surmises that Nathan would know that it’s the anniversary of his death, and Nathan confirms it, saying that’s why he’s there. Scotty asks if Nathan comes every year, and Nathan says it’s the first time he’s come. Lilly asks if he’s ever put anything on the grave, and he says he doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Scotty suggests that Nathan take a ride with them, and he wordlessly agrees. But when they get back to the car, we see that someone has left another drawing underneath the windshield wiper. Oh, snap!
Credits.
Squad room. Lilly’s got Nathan and the drawings at a table, and he’s saying he took Colin to Jurassic Park and lost him in the bathroom. Lilly asks why Colin might have gone to the tracks; Nathan replies that they were familiar, that Colin walked that way home from school. Scotty asks how long Nathan knew Colin, and he says he knew him three years: that he picked up Colin from school a few times a week, and looked at his homework. Scotty surmises that Nathan was Colin’s babysitter; Nathan chuckles and says Colin needed someone, since Colin’s dad was out of the picture, and the one who's name we shall not say worked as many shifts as she could at the supermarket. Nathan explains that Colin was limited, and needed extra care. He and the one who's name we shall not say looked out for Colin until she got breast cancer, which eventually killed her.
Scotty asks Nathan if he knows who might have done the drawings, Nathan doesn’t. Lilly asks if there was anyone who might have disliked Colin, and Nathan replies that the only people Colin really knew were at his school, and there, it could have been anybody, since Colin was loving, trusting, and “everything that kids that age can’t be.” Lilly correctly guesses that it was “open season on the slow kid.” Nathan looks reflective, signaling an impending flashback, and…sweet! “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers starts up! I’ll try my best to pay attention to the flashback instead of rocking out to the song, but no guarantees.
In front of Colin’s high school. Nathan asks a couple of girls if they’ve seen Colin; they giggle and point to a fountain, where Colin is splashing around. Nathan thanks them tersely and heads for the fountain, where he sees Colin gathering up a bunch of valentine cards, saying that someone told him they’d fly. Colin adds that it’s “her birthday”, and “he” said she would like them, that it’d be magic, but now they’re all mush, and he can’t give Leah mush for her birthday. A curly-haired kid shows up then and points out helpfully that it’s not as bad as last time, because Colin’s at least still got his underwear. Nathan asks the kid, Josh, what happened, and Josh said some kid told Colin he could make the valentines fly. Colin points out that they kind of flew, for a little bit. Aw. Nathan asks who told Colin this, but Colin interrupts him, wondering how Leah’s going to know he loves her if the valentines are mush. Nathan thinks for a minute, then tells him to make a wish; that fountains are the best places to make a wish about feelings. Josh nods in confirmation, and Colin stands up and shuts his eyes tightly, then wishes for Leah to know how much he loves her. Again, aw. He opens his eyes and smiles, then giddily says that it worked, that he can feel it working. Nathan helps him out of the fountain.
Nathan says this was an average day, that there were worse. Scotty asks if the one who's name we shall not say ever thought about putting Colin in a special school, but Nathan says that money was tight; he got paid in sandwiches sometimes, and the one who's name we shall not say would type up his college applications. Lilly asks if Josh would know who had it in for Colin, and Nathan says Josh was the closest thing Colin had to a friend.
Josh’s apartment. Josh answers the detectives’ knock and asks if they’re with the groceries. “No,” Vera replies, “and we ain’t housekeeping, either.” Heh. Lilly flashes her badge and asks if they can come in, not waiting for a reply before she follows Vera into the apartment. Josh says he doesn’t really have visitors, and that he tries to limit his social interface. Lilly says they’re there about Colin Miller, and Josh says it was twelve years ago today. Vera asks what else he knows about that, and Josh says Colin was hit by a train, that it was an accident. Lilly asks if he thinks different, but before Josh can reply, Vera pulls a rather violent drawing off the fridge and asks about it. Josh says it’s a picture of his old boss, and Vera asks if this was before Josh’s “limited interface thing.” Hee. Lilly realizes that the pictures were drawn by the same artist, and asks Josh if he’s trying to say something about how Colin died. Josh insists he doesn’t know how Colin died. Vera reminds Josh of the pictures left on Colin’s grave, and Josh says it’s just something for Colin. Lilly points out that today the picture was left on her car, and Josh says that maybe he wanted a live person to see it. Lilly asks if the guy on the tracks is Colin, and Josh denies it, saying the two kids standing by the tracks are him and Colin, and the guy on the tracks is Mack.
Railyard, where we hear Stone Temple Pilots’ “Plush.” An ugly galoot, presumably Mack, has Mr. Wilson, and Colin begs Mack not to hurt him. Mack and his galoot friends laugh, and Mack if he’s really hurting Mr. Wilson. Colin tearfully says yes, and Mack suddenly agrees, saying he can hear Mr. Wilson crying. I hate this scene already, but I do have to commend the writers on the pun in the song’s title. Colin charges Mack, trying to get Mr. Wilson, but Mack dodges him, then says all Colin has to do to get Mr. Wilson back is say please. Colin does, but Mack rips Mr. Wilson’s arm off. Colin screams, and Mack tosses the arm aside, telling Colin to look at what he made him do. Colin starts crying, and Mack suddenly loses interest in Mr. Wilson, tossing him to the side, and decides that punching Colin would be more fun. He knocks him to the ground and starts kicking him, his kicks punctuated by calling Colin a “stupid pansy ‘tard.” See? I told you I hated this scene. Mack then orders Colin to “stay away from her,” and leaves him crying on the tracks while he heads off with the other galoots.
Josh explains that the drawings are what they would have done to Mack had they been strong enough, and Vera confirms that Josh never acts on his artistic visions. Lilly asks Josh who Mack wanted Colin to stay away from, and Josh answers that it was Mack’s girlfriend, Leah. Lilly asks if this had to do with the valentines, and Josh says it wasn’t the valentines, but the music room: Colin jumped Leah. Josh says Colin was the nicest guy on earth, but he was still a guy.
Hallway, PPD. Lilly explains that a sexual assault charge was filed against Colin, but then dropped, as the matter was settled privately. Vera says that if Colin messed with Mack’s girlfriend, Mack’s got motive. Stillman asks if Colin had a history of violent behavior, and Lilly says he doesn’t. Stillman wonders where he learned it, then, since Dad was out of the picture. Vera theorizes, as only Vera can, that it might have been native, since he’s heard that “those special kids” get back what they’ve lost mentally in the sex department, with interest. Lilly gives him a withering look. Stillman tells them to call DHS and get a look at Colin’s file. Scotty comes up then with Mack’s record: a “misdemeanor buffet” of vandalism, resisting arrest, and similar charges. “Just my type,” Vera comments, and Scotty asks if he wants to go have a chat. He then tells Lilly that Leah’s with Jeffries.
Squad room. Leah tells Lilly and Jeffries that she hasn’t thought about Colin for a long time. Jeffries says they heard there was an incident in the music room. Leah confirms it, then recites the story: she was in the music room after school, Colin came in, started kissing her, wouldn’t stop, and then Mack walked in, luckily. Jeffries correctly surmises that Leah has told this story a lot, and Lilly reminds her that Mack gave Colin a beating for that, and asks if it was her idea. Leah says it was Mack’s idea, that it was the one thing he did that her parents approved of: her mother collected Emily Post etiquette books, and Mack’s big hobby was seeing how far he could spit. Lilly concludes that Mack was Leah’s rebellion, and she says that it was “beauty and the beast,” that every girl tries it once. Lilly gives us a cryptic smile, and I wonder who, exactly, she’s thinking about here. Jeffries asks if there was any fallout other than the beating, and Leah says that while Mack went after Colin, her parents went after Colin’s mom.
Leah’s parents’ house, where Colin, the one who's name we shall not say, and Leah’s family are sitting on couches facing each other while 10,000 Maniacs’ “Trouble Me” plays. Leah’s dad asks where Colin’s father is, the one who's name we shall not say says that he’s not part of Colin’s life. Leah’s dad says he can change that with a civil suit against both of them for what Colin did to Leah. Leah, for her part, looks like she is fervently wishing that the earth would just open up and swallow her whole. the one who's name we shall not say says that Colin’s sorry about what happened, and so is she, but the apology falls on deaf ears, as Leah’s dad goes on to talk about the criminal investigation. the one who's name we shall not say protests that Colin’s not dangerous, he just misunderstood, and Leah’s dad says they can’t risk him “misunderstanding.” the one who's name we shall not say suggests discussing options, and Leah’s mom says they’d like Colin to attend a different school, that it could be better for him to be with kids more like himself. the one who's name we shall not say says she doesn’t have the money, and Leah’s dad suggests a home or hospital. the one who's name we shall not say insists that they do fine; Leah’s dad disagrees. He then orders her to pull Colin out of the school or they’ll go ahead with civil and criminal cases. the one who's name we shall not say tells Colin that they’re leaving, and they start to go, but Colin turns back, apologizes to Leah, and then tells her she can have Mr. Wilson if she wants. She takes the rabbit, and Colin leaves. Dang it, show. I wasn’t expecting to need tissues until the end!
Leah says that Colin was gone by the next Monday, and she never saw him again. Jeffries surmises that she wasn’t totally behind the meeting, and she says she wasn’t behind that or the beatdown; that all it accomplished was making Mack feel good. She says she doesn’t think Colin knew what he was doing, but that Mack did.
Mack’s workplace, where he’s confirming that he remembers “the retard.” Nice to see that Mack has lived up to his full potential. Scotty asks about the beating he gave Colin at the train tracks, and Mack says Colin tried to rape Leah and needed a lesson, and that with a “guy like that,” physical violence is the only way he’ll learn. Vera sarcastically comments about the deep thought this conclusion must have required, and Mack retorts that he remembered Colin and asks what else they want to know. Vera and Scotty ask if Colin ever needed a refresher course, and Mack seems shocked that they’re asking how Colin died. Vera confirms this, and asks if Mack killed Colin. Mack tells them to get real; Scotty reminds Mack that he had a temper and a motive. Mack says that what Colin got he had coming to him, but it was what happened after that was really screwed up.
Railyard. Mack and the galoots are walking away, and Mack asks who has the brewskies. The galoots look at one another and shrug, and Mack sarcastically pronounces them geniuses and starts to go get the beers himself. He stops short when he sees Josh kicking Colin, echoing Mack’s previous insults. Colin rises to his knees and tells Josh that it’s okay, that he knows he makes Josh tired, that he also makes his mom tired. Colin says he’ll have to go stay with his dad while his mom goes to the hospital and gets some rest. Josh says that the one who's name we shall not say isn’t tired, she’s sick, and is going to die. Colin’s bubble bursts, and Josh adds insult to injury by telling Colin that his dad hates him because he’s “too stupid to live.” Colin starts crying, and Josh says that maybe he’ll just put Colin out of his misery, then shoves him back down onto the tracks. Mack, for his part, at least has the decency to look suitably horrified.
Interview room. Vera puts one of Josh’s drawings down in front of him and says he thought Josh was Colin’s friend. Lilly asks if this is why he gave Colin a follow-up beatdown. Josh replies that this is exactly why he keeps to himself: to avoid stuff like being accused of murder because he happens to be weird. Lilly asks if Josh, as the second-lowest guy on the food chain, needed to beat up on the lowest guy, and Josh says it makes you feel good for a minute, but that he didn’t kill Colin. “No, you just kicked his ass and threatened him a little,” Vera says sarcastically. Josh admits that he wasn’t great to Colin, but he liked him. Lilly doesn’t believe this, but Josh says Colin was nice to him, and that doesn’t happen a lot.
Squad room. Stillman, Jeffries, and Scotty have new information on Colin’s dad, Richard: that he wasn’t doing too well financially, spent most of the 90s skating just shy of bankruptcy, and never paid a cent of child support. Scotty says this isn’t surprising, since Richard divorced the one who's name we shall not say as soon as Colin’s condition got found out. Stillman shows Lilly the one who's name we shall not say’s medical records: that she beat cancer in 1989, but it came back with a vengeance in 1992. “This kid’s got all the luck,” Scotty observes. Lilly concludes that, if the one who's name we shall not say died, all the burden of caring for Colin would fall on Richard. Vera asks how much of a burden, and Scotty says the expense would have completely wiped Richard out in a couple of years. Jeffries says it’s lucky for Richard that Colin died, and Lilly grimly says that they have a word for that kind of luck. She doesn’t share that word with us, though.
Scotty’s apartment. He’s getting ready to leave for work, and there’s still a lump in his bed, which I grudgingly presume is Christina. Sure enough, as he unplugs his cell phone from the charger, she wakes up and tells him that she found another place, starting tonight. Scotty seems surprised at this and says he’s not kicking her out, but she’s firm. He’s been really nice, she says, but she’s going. He nods, and says he tried talking to Lil. “That was brave,” Christina comments, and I gotta say I agree with her on that one. Scotty sits down on the bed and tells Chris that Lilly didn’t want to go into it, and Christina correctly concludes that Scotty got the Deep Freeze, and adds that she’s familiar with it. They sit for a minute, reflecting on how chilly it is in the Lilly Rush Deep Freeze, which, despite the Nausea Factor of this whole relationship, is kind of a cute moment. Then Scotty asks Chris why they get along so bad. Yes, please, tell us. We’ve been wondering for, oh, six or seven episodes at this point. Enough already. Anyway, Chris says that there was a “thing” with Lilly’s fiancé. Scotty seems surprised that Lilly was engaged, and Chris says it was nine years back, that they all loved the guy, until one night Lilly was out late on patrol, and the guy has a beer too many. She starts to go on, but Scotty stops her, saying he thinks he’s hearing too much, and Chris says she just reminds Lilly of that time, and of her ex-fiance. Scotty looks at Chris for a minute, then tells her she’s helped him in hard times. She knows. They smile at each other for a minute, and then Scotty says he’ll see her later and leaves. She watches him go, then sinks back down into bed.