Post by CC Fan on Oct 12, 2004 18:17:01 GMT -5
Review provided by TVFan
Season 2.02 “Factory Girls”
“Factory Girls" was a well done journey through the past. The flashbacks, costumes, music, dialog/accents, and characters all contributed to a convincing look at the war plagued 1940s. More specifically, here's my view of various good and bad elements of the episode.
PLOT/STORY
Cold Case seems to shine when it covers older cases. Even though it favored the 80s and 90s last season, some of the best stories were rooted a little further back. Knowing this, I had (cautiously) high hopes for this story. "Factory Girls" did not disappoint. The writers did a nice job of incorporating 1940s themes and issues into a show that, at its core, is simply about murder. Instead of just relying on World War II to set a backdrop, they actually used it to highlight the story. Alice's murder was rooted in her desire to continue working after her husband returned from the war. Although it seems somewhat foreign to the modern world, this desire irritated her husband enough to lose his cool and cause his wife to go over the balcony to her death. Of course, the same crime could have been committed present day, but the different societal attitudes of the 40s made the story more compelling.
Another story point that worked for me was having Lilly work with all the others. We had Lilly with Scotty in the beginning, then Lilly with Jeffries, then Lilly with Vera, and finally Lilly with Stillman. Her invitation for Stillman to join her at the former "Smokey's" showed how she looks up to him as a mentor. It's always nice to see the other characters involved in the various cases. Lilly seems to work differently with each of them, and changing it up allows this to show. It was nice to see Lilly by herself during the ending scene when Nelson confessed. The show seemed to shift its focus back on Lilly this episode.
A final plot point that worked well was the revelation of who killed Alice. The story introduced us to a lot of characters, and made it seem possible for any one of them to have killed her. Even after Dottie told Lilly and Scotty that she had seen Nelson at the factory that night, I still wasn't convinced he killed Alice. It wasn't until his confession that I was 100% sure. The writers did a nice job of keeping us guessing. Dottie seemed like a viable suspect because of her jealousy toward Alice and her desire for Nelson.
The one plot point that just didn't work for me was the motive for the murder. I know people change over time, but Nelson just didn't seem like someone capable of murder. He seemed to truly love Alice in the flashbacks and present day. The writers painted him as very understanding, even having him overlook Alice's indiscretion with Buddy. Why then would he kill her for wanting to continue working? It just didn't fit his character.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
There wasn't a lot of character development in this episode, as per usual, but Lilly had some growth. She seemed to relate to the women from the very beginning. When she walked into the reunion, she almost seemed amazed to be in the same room as these woman who worked so hard during the war. As the case developed, Lilly continued to become more and more invested in its outcome. Her final conversation with Nelson was very revealing. She was holding Alice's diary very lovingly, and when she read from it to Nelson, she did so with admiration in her voice, even tearing up at times. The final scene had Lilly walking back down the ladder and "seeing" Alice. She seemed proud to continue to pave the road that Alice and others started. I liked how the writers gave Lilly a personal connection to the case based on the fact that she is a working woman.
The bad character development in this episode was Vera. Last season, Vera was always a cynical cop from the old school style of detective. But this season, the writers seem to be turning him into a mean, cynical detective. I know he has marital problems (of course he does, he's a television cop), but he seems to be losing his interest in his job. I'm not sure where the writers are taking this, but I hope it doesn't continue. My best guess is that they're trying to develop other characters this season, but I don't want Vera developed into a jerk.
STYLE
The set design in this episode was amazing. The factory scenes were incredible. The machinery, posters, costumes, tan hues, steam sounds, and music all combined to truly transport the viewer to a 1940s factory. The scenes looked more like a big budget movie than a weekly television series. When the style works, it enforces the story. Even though we may not understand just how society worked back in 1943, the style elements make more believable what the show tells us . Cold Case always does a nice job with its flashbacks, but this episode had me amazed every time it journeyed back. One of the most amazing scenes for me was in the restaurant that used to be "Smokey's." The editing between the former place to the current place was incredible. The camera panned across the restaurant as it changed from modern to past and back to modern. It was an amazing look at the hands of time.
The shot composition in "Factory Girls" was somewhat flat. I can only remember two scenes that had interesting shots in them. First, when Lilly and Scotty talked to Dottie at her house. There was an interesting shot of Lilly through a piece of furniture in Dottie's house. The other shot was at the cafe where Lilly met Nelson and Myndy for lunch. After Nelson left, there was a nice shot of Lilly and Myndy from a distance through the cafe. Other than those two shots, the rest of the episode fell flat shot-wise. Cold Case was an artistic masterpiece (for television) last season with incredible shots (see "Love Conquers Al" - the scene where the detectives interrogate Bennett and Jane, there are shots of the video camera recording their interviews. If you look into the viewfinder, there's a young Bennett/Jane, but if you look at the actual person at the table, they are present day). When Lilly and co. would speak with Stillman in his office, the show used to have shots from outside the office as people walked in front of the shot. I'm hoping the show regains its artistic flair this season.
Overall, I felt that "Factory Girls" had a few miscues. The motive was weak, the actors used in present day too young, Vera's further bad characterization, but the story was solid. A much improved episode after last week.
Season 2.02 “Factory Girls”
“Factory Girls" was a well done journey through the past. The flashbacks, costumes, music, dialog/accents, and characters all contributed to a convincing look at the war plagued 1940s. More specifically, here's my view of various good and bad elements of the episode.
PLOT/STORY
Cold Case seems to shine when it covers older cases. Even though it favored the 80s and 90s last season, some of the best stories were rooted a little further back. Knowing this, I had (cautiously) high hopes for this story. "Factory Girls" did not disappoint. The writers did a nice job of incorporating 1940s themes and issues into a show that, at its core, is simply about murder. Instead of just relying on World War II to set a backdrop, they actually used it to highlight the story. Alice's murder was rooted in her desire to continue working after her husband returned from the war. Although it seems somewhat foreign to the modern world, this desire irritated her husband enough to lose his cool and cause his wife to go over the balcony to her death. Of course, the same crime could have been committed present day, but the different societal attitudes of the 40s made the story more compelling.
Another story point that worked for me was having Lilly work with all the others. We had Lilly with Scotty in the beginning, then Lilly with Jeffries, then Lilly with Vera, and finally Lilly with Stillman. Her invitation for Stillman to join her at the former "Smokey's" showed how she looks up to him as a mentor. It's always nice to see the other characters involved in the various cases. Lilly seems to work differently with each of them, and changing it up allows this to show. It was nice to see Lilly by herself during the ending scene when Nelson confessed. The show seemed to shift its focus back on Lilly this episode.
A final plot point that worked well was the revelation of who killed Alice. The story introduced us to a lot of characters, and made it seem possible for any one of them to have killed her. Even after Dottie told Lilly and Scotty that she had seen Nelson at the factory that night, I still wasn't convinced he killed Alice. It wasn't until his confession that I was 100% sure. The writers did a nice job of keeping us guessing. Dottie seemed like a viable suspect because of her jealousy toward Alice and her desire for Nelson.
The one plot point that just didn't work for me was the motive for the murder. I know people change over time, but Nelson just didn't seem like someone capable of murder. He seemed to truly love Alice in the flashbacks and present day. The writers painted him as very understanding, even having him overlook Alice's indiscretion with Buddy. Why then would he kill her for wanting to continue working? It just didn't fit his character.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
There wasn't a lot of character development in this episode, as per usual, but Lilly had some growth. She seemed to relate to the women from the very beginning. When she walked into the reunion, she almost seemed amazed to be in the same room as these woman who worked so hard during the war. As the case developed, Lilly continued to become more and more invested in its outcome. Her final conversation with Nelson was very revealing. She was holding Alice's diary very lovingly, and when she read from it to Nelson, she did so with admiration in her voice, even tearing up at times. The final scene had Lilly walking back down the ladder and "seeing" Alice. She seemed proud to continue to pave the road that Alice and others started. I liked how the writers gave Lilly a personal connection to the case based on the fact that she is a working woman.
The bad character development in this episode was Vera. Last season, Vera was always a cynical cop from the old school style of detective. But this season, the writers seem to be turning him into a mean, cynical detective. I know he has marital problems (of course he does, he's a television cop), but he seems to be losing his interest in his job. I'm not sure where the writers are taking this, but I hope it doesn't continue. My best guess is that they're trying to develop other characters this season, but I don't want Vera developed into a jerk.
STYLE
The set design in this episode was amazing. The factory scenes were incredible. The machinery, posters, costumes, tan hues, steam sounds, and music all combined to truly transport the viewer to a 1940s factory. The scenes looked more like a big budget movie than a weekly television series. When the style works, it enforces the story. Even though we may not understand just how society worked back in 1943, the style elements make more believable what the show tells us . Cold Case always does a nice job with its flashbacks, but this episode had me amazed every time it journeyed back. One of the most amazing scenes for me was in the restaurant that used to be "Smokey's." The editing between the former place to the current place was incredible. The camera panned across the restaurant as it changed from modern to past and back to modern. It was an amazing look at the hands of time.
The shot composition in "Factory Girls" was somewhat flat. I can only remember two scenes that had interesting shots in them. First, when Lilly and Scotty talked to Dottie at her house. There was an interesting shot of Lilly through a piece of furniture in Dottie's house. The other shot was at the cafe where Lilly met Nelson and Myndy for lunch. After Nelson left, there was a nice shot of Lilly and Myndy from a distance through the cafe. Other than those two shots, the rest of the episode fell flat shot-wise. Cold Case was an artistic masterpiece (for television) last season with incredible shots (see "Love Conquers Al" - the scene where the detectives interrogate Bennett and Jane, there are shots of the video camera recording their interviews. If you look into the viewfinder, there's a young Bennett/Jane, but if you look at the actual person at the table, they are present day). When Lilly and co. would speak with Stillman in his office, the show used to have shots from outside the office as people walked in front of the shot. I'm hoping the show regains its artistic flair this season.
Overall, I felt that "Factory Girls" had a few miscues. The motive was weak, the actors used in present day too young, Vera's further bad characterization, but the story was solid. A much improved episode after last week.
