Ep. 4.07 The Key

[TVFan]

JEFFRIES' ROOKIE MURDER CASE IN 1979 IS RE-OPENED WHEN EVIDENCE IS FOUND CLOSE TO WHERE THE BODY OF A WOMAN WAS ORIGINALLY LOCATED, ON "COLD CASE," SUNDAY, NOV. 5

David Barrett directed the episode that was written by Jennifer Johnson.

Lilly Rush: Kathryn Morris
Scotty Valens: Danny Pino
LT. John Stillman: John Finn
Nick Vera: Jeremy Ratchford
Will Jeffries: Thom Barry
Kat Miller: Tracie Thoms
Libby Bradley (1979): Annie Wersching
Alison Huxley (1979): Allison Dunbar
Julie Livingston (1979): Angela Little
Joe Livingston (1979): Jay Huguley
Carl Bradley (1979): Matthew Glave
Helena (1979): Tay Biessey
Detective Will Jeffries (1979): Darwin Harris
Helena Bradley (2006): Ele Keats
A.D.A Alexandra Thomas: Bonnie Root
Jed Huxley (1979): Mark L. Young
Bill Huxley (1979): George Newbern
Bill Huxley (2006): J. Patrick McCormack
Alison Huxley (2006): Diane Cary
Jed Huxley (2006): Ben Bode'
Mike Valens: Nestor Carbonell
Young Scotty Valens: Allen Alvarado
Young Mike (1983): James Henrie

Be sure to leave your vote and your comments for The Key!

[eurache]

Also, "LIVE" chats are on Monday and Wednesday nights. Look at our NEWS FADER for time and dates.

Also, click on "LIVE" Chats to see our discussions for this episode.

'LIVE" CHAT RUN ON "THE KEY"

[Naj]

It's late here. So will post more tomorrow. They are packing a lot into one hour. I thought the case and entire ep was very good except I felt the timeline should have been earlier 70's for the clothing they were wearing. But that era is kinda sketchy going into the 80's. I kinda suspected the son early but never guessed how. I liked the A.D.A Alexandra Thomas. Interesting to see if she comes back. And Scotty had a great storyline too.

[longislanditalian2]

tonights show was very interesting. First I thought it was the daughter, she had a lot of motive but was surprised it was Jed never would have believed it. Young Jefferies was a lot like Lilly when they flashed back her first homicide back in 99. They were both unexperienced but both comforted the the family, Lilly with Mauve and Jefferies with Helen.

My poor Scotty got hurt by his brother, Scotty has such a good heart and ways always trying to look out for Mike. Looks like his hand has been completely healed from the last time he knocked someone out. I liked the ending where they show them as two little kids then flashes foward the the present day. Sounds Like mike and Scotty have a better relationship then Lilly does with Christina.

I'm missing Lilly in a lot of scenes, not too much of her was shown tonight. I loved her interrogation with I forgot his name, how she snapped when he was trying to flirt with her and she didn't buy into it !!!


Maybe before Libby was murdered giving back the key may symbolize the same as Lilly pushing Joseph's key away. As Libby lay dying she saw the eclipse it could be that her soul was free and not suffering anymore. The sun peeking through the clouds at the end, represented Peace

[r2k]

Naj, I'm with you on the early '70s part. The clothing andf fondue screamed out early '70s. Not sure when swinging was big. I thought that might have been early '70s as well. All in all, the episode was good but I sort of figured the killer out early. This episode does have one of the best flashbacks ever in the series when the couples were together and the kids were serving them drinks. Classic. By the way, anyone recognize the victim's husband. He was on Chips in the late '70s and early '80s. Can't wait to chat about it Monday night.

[boxman]

1979, eh?? I'm a bit surprised to not have noticed any women wearing Danskins at the key party... As a ninth grader back then, I sure remember that! Naj, I suspected the killer early on too. Being about the same age as him at that time, the motive wasn't too hard for me to predict. I liked the plot details. Woman who was considering divorcing her husband and wasn't afraid of being lonely... That was a nice touch that adds to the Lilly storyline. Lilly's jab about Puka Shell necklaces was funny too! Ahh.. Brings back memories. It was funny that the show mentioned Fondue... There's a restaurant over in Chestnut Hill called "The Melting Pot" that is bringing it back...

[longislanditalian2]

Why didn't Libby see that this was affecting Helen until her sucicide attempt? I think Libby wanted to be alone she didn't want to be with her husband but her daughter. What did Lilly exatly sat about the Puka shell necklaces??

[boxman]

longislanditalian2 said:

What did Lilly exatly sat about the Puka shell necklaces??

Lilly was poking at Joe during the interrogation by making fun of the shell necklace he was wearing. Those necklaces first got popular in Hawaii in the late 70's (which Joe alluded to when he said he was flying out to Waikiki back then). It's kinda funny that he's still wearing one 27 years later, but I guess those necklaces still suggests living a "laid-back" lifestyle.

[longislanditalian2]

I think that Jefferies has also a big heart, he does have a caring side. He wants to help both the victims and the families. Even as a rookie detective, he had compassion. Stillman seemed to also serves as a mentor to both Scotty and Lilly.

boxman- Thanks for the info I kinda of missed that part

[boxman]

longislanditalian2 said:

...As Libby lay dying she saw the eclipse it could be that her soul was free and not suffering anymore. The sun peeking through the clouds at the end, represented Peace

Yeah, eclipses are a tough call. Some ancient societies interpret it as good because of the sun's "rebirth", while others interpret it as bad because they didn't have the astronomical knowledge in understanding how the sun and moon interacted. Did you notice that Jed was wearing a *black leather jacket* in the final interrogation scene?? That would seem to furthur establish it as a symbol for criminals.... Yet again, Kat (who I'm really liking now), was also wearing one in this episode too! Really weird how they keep throwing us a curve on that!! It looks like they're gonna keep us guessing for the time being... Maybe there's going to be more on Kat later this season?? Or in season five??

ETA:
I was about to give this episode an "It was Good" vote because I felt it was a little too easy predicting the murderer. But the more and more I watch it, I think I may give it an "Excellent" because of some very interesting details... (Plus, Scotty and Mike's scene was nothing short of fantastic!) I'm going to have to watch it some more and let some thoughts gel...

---

The fact that the keys were for a *Cadillac Eldorado* was a strong foreshadow to the identity of the killer. (Cadillacs are used very often at the scene of a crime in this show.) It was fun for me to watch them play with that for a while before revealing that it was the son who drove it and handed the keys to Libby. When that was revealed, Jed jumped to the top of my list of suspects!!

---

The phrase "[not] my brother's keeper" that Scotty uses ( ) comes from the Biblical story of Cain and Abel. In the story, the two brothers fight (and one eventually kills the other). Sooo... was Scotty's use of the phrase a foreshadow to the bloody fight between him and Mike?? Or no correllation?? Because it puts us into a conundrum:

--If we say "Yes", it was a foreshadow, then it goes very nicely with the way Christianity is tied to Scotty's character. (For example, the Scotty-centric episode "Sanctuary", or the idea that Scotty's underwater imagery in "Saving Sammy" may allude to a "cleansing" or of his character.) But then, we have to consider that in the Biblical story of Cain and Abel, one brother *kills* the other (leading God to create a law against murder.)

--If we say "No", Scotty's use of the Christianity-based phrase had no attachments to the fight, then do we also dispel the connection between Christianity and Scotty's character?? Then does this mean we favor the "Scotty underwater" imagery in "Saving Sammy" to mean that Scotty will be "sleeping with the fishes"??

---

*Excellent* camera work in this episode. In the bedroom scene before Libby and Bill undress, take a close look at the mirror. The movie camera is looking *directly* into the mirror! You can see the reflection of the wall the headboard is against--yet you can't see the movie camera! It's a very detailed and elaborate set-up. Filming into the mirror that way gives the viewer the visual cues to give the impression that the room is enclosed with four walls, rather than an open Hollywood soundstage. (And was that thunder and lightning in that scene? Another *water* reference.. i.e. rain/personal change?? )

---

In last week's episode "Static", Dottie was filmed behind the porch railings in what seemed to be a visual foreshadow to her guilt. In this episode, Scotty is filmed entering Stillman's office *behind the vertical blinds*. From the scene I describe above, we definitely know the camera people film each scene with a lot of thought and planning. Does this simple image of Scotty *behind the vertical blinds* imply that Scotty may be punished soon?? HMMMmmm......

---

Question: Was this a "Lilly-centric" episode?? I think it was. I'll explain later... (I need sleep....)

[eurache]

I think it was a good episode. There were situations b/c of that time period that would have Lilly say "Been there, Done that". The period of seventies and fondue were right on However, I was not aware of "key" parties Then of course, I wasn't married until 1975.. I know I know.. what we did ;D I had friends over and we watched porno flicks on a 8"reel.. LOL Hey it was the 70s!! but we didnt do "exchange" partners. But ah yes, the fondue... they're coming back ya know.

I cried with the exchange of Scotty and his bro, Mike. Wow!! The fighting and such... the flash backs were great. Now we know why Scotty was angry with that one perv he beat up. He actually saw what happened to his bro. He felt guilty and responsible that he didn't tell anyone. I'm glad Mike decided to testify

I really didn't know who the killer was until I saw what happened at that party. When the victim did a stupid move on this kid. It's no wonder the kid got the wrong impression.

I like the flashbacks of Jeffries, he looked hot! So it was a little of a Jeffries story and Scotty story

All in all, I thought it was a goodie

edited b/c I can't spell lately

[Naj]

I agree about the flashbacks, r2k. Nice camera work at spots too.

Hey boxman,

Yea, a young man that age having a woman come on to him regardless of her motive with the extra time they spent together--totally conceivable.

Yikes was that Anne Murray song 1979? I used to like her. Oye.

Vera seems to becoming more a serious detective at times this year. And I think Stillman knew all along what Scotty did. I liked the shot of him at the end looking at Scotty.

[TVFan]

I gave this one a "good." I really liked a lot of things about it. I'm just going to list and explain them one by one to make it easier:

-A personal case for Jeffries. Like Lilly's Bubley case last season, Jeffries felt personally responsible for finding Libby's killer. He had made a promise to her daughter, just as Lil had made one to Maeve and the other Bubley boys. I was worried for a second that the daughter was the doer, but luckily, they didn't go in that direction.

-Even though this wasn't a Lilly-heavy episode, there were some great moments with her. I LOVED her solo interrogation with Mr. Free Spirit. She feeds off of men like him, and she uses it to her advantage. Love how she does that without playing the sex kitten card. I also liked the parallel between Helen and her mother and Lilly and hers. Both had mothers who embarrassed them and treated them badly, but Libby realized the error of her ways and tried to make amends. Ellen, on the other hand, has done nothing to amend for her past actions. In fact, she wanted Lilly to let bygones be bygones and be in her wedding. She either doesn't realize what she did wrong, or she doesn't care. Libby went crawling back to her daughter as well, but with a promise to change. She realized how wrong she had been, and she wanted to make things right. Ellen can't be by herself -- she needs a man in her life to make her feel complete (she needs to be "somebody's wife"), while Libby realized that the only other person she needed in her life was her daughter. She discovered that she could be alone and be OK (loved this message BTW - not only because it's like a not-so-hidden message to Lilly). Despite the differences between Libby and Ellen, I can't help but think that Lilly had to be thinking about the way things are always left with her mother. Here we had a woman who was still wracked with guilt and anguish over the last time that she saw her mother. If nothing else, it must have gotten Lilly thinking about her own mother. As usual with this show, great subtlety.

- I had a feeling that the kid was the doer. He just seemed angry when we first met him, but I wasn't sure of the motive. I found him to be a very plausible killer, and the actual murder scene was believable. You could see that the second he stabbed that ice pick into Libby's chest he felt remorseful. I don't think he meant to hurt her, he was just so filled with rage after learning that she wasn't interested in him.

- Scotty's personal story line has been beautifully done. Everything from the acting (awesome work by Danny Pino) to the writing has been brilliant. My heart went out to both Scotty and Mike last night as they finally addressed what happened with the boxing coach. I think Mike's decision to testify is the first step in helping him finally heal from the incident. I love how the story brings last season's "Perv Beat Down" full circle. We now understand the motivation behind what Scotty did in that park. I also loved the flash to little Scotty and little Mike at the end.

Overall, another strong episode. Next week's looks very sad. As always, more thoughts and a few caps over at Pass the Remote.

[mikencelia]

This was a very good episode, mainly because for someone like me who was a teen in 1979, I could remember all the music. The clothes, decor, etc were really early 70's. I knew who the killer was the minute he said his first line, which was a good one ; "Hard to sleep in Studio 54." Although the 70s were my youth, it was a really yucky decade.

[mikencelia]

Question...
In the ending scenes when you see the swinging husband-neighbor with the young wife - is the brunette supposed to be a third wife or the second wife older?

[longislanditalian2]

I love that scarf that Lilly is wearing at the beginning, I have to say Danny Pino really shined in this episode , he knew about what happened to Mike and was trying to protect him. I'm guessing that's one of the reason why he became a cop, like Lilly who become one b/c of the incident when she was 10. They are like each other in the fact they both need to help others

[canuckiepen]

Mikencelia: It looks like maybe a third wife...or someone that he's swingin' with..another married woman...The flashback showed only a younger version of him...the young woman stayed the same.

[Disasterfreak]

Wow...

This is the only ep so far that has actually left me "thinking" stuff. It hit home--not personally maybe--but I have more friends than I'd like in that same fix. Not the key party thing, but the too young-unhappy marriage thing. It's sad to watch from the sidelines, and see what it does to them and their kids. The episode did an excellent job of portraying that. The characters were well done and all very believable--even the swinger was pretty true to life.

I agree with those who said the clothes looked more early 70s than late 70s--though I swear my ma wore those same clothes around the time I was born. Still... maybe fashions were late around here.

Whoever said Jeffries was hot was absolutely right!

Sorry, Michelle, but I don't agree with the little boys' flashback being cheesy. It wasn't the most original thing in the world, but it was brief, sweet, and it fit the moment I thought. Still... to each their own, I guess.

Music was pretty durn good too.

[longislanditalian2]

I think Stillman knows what Scotty did but isn't going to do anything about it. He now knows why he did it b/c of what happened to his brother it was an emotional physical outburst uncontrolled, he'll probably keep that off of the record. Lilly still looks very sad to me, maybe she is still thinking about Joseph and the breakup.


Some interesting info- on that day there was a total solar eclipse but Philly only got a partical eclipse the total one was shown over colorado ..

[Naj]

I've forgotten the name of the teacher swinging wife. But her moves at the party with they young son were provocative. Did anyone notice how fit she actually was. It's as if breaking out of her rigid early married life allowed her to grow and feel more happy (in a way). Anyway the dance made me blush like I wasn't supposed to look. It was pretty racy even for 9 pm time slot.