Ep. 5.10 Justice

[TVFan]

WHILE INVESTIGATING THE 1982 MURDER OF A POPULAR COLLEGE STUDENT, THE TEAM UNCOVERS THAT THE COLLEGE STAFF AND POLICE IGNORED CO-EDS WHO ACCUSED HIM OF DATE RAPE BEFORE HIS DEATH, ON "COLD CASE," SUNDAY, NOV. 25

Emmy Nominee Michele Greene ("L.A. Law") and Deirdre Lovejoy ("The Wire") Guest Star as Two Alleged Rape Victims

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
Tessie Bartram (2007): Michele Greene
Regie Kunze (2007): Deirdre Lovejoy
Mike Delaney (1982): Justin Hartley
Tessie Bartram (1982): Nikki DeLoach
Jimmy Bartram (1982): Jack Weber
Jimmy Bartram (2007): Brian Poth
Maggie Lafferty (1982): Kristin Proctor
Maggie Lafferty (2007): Diane Delano
Karin Hensley (1982): Annie Campbell
Karin Hensley (2007): Elizabeth Sampson
Melinda Levy (1982): Zoe Perry
Melinda Levy (2007): Eve Gordon
Regie Kunze (1982): Betsy Beutler
Lisa (1982): Stephanie Katz
Jason McNulty (1982): Clint Carmichael
Jason McNulty (2007): Mark Hutter
Uniform Cop (1982): J. Teddy Garces

WRITTEN BY: Veena Sud, one of the series' executive producers

DIRECTED BY: Agnieszka Holland

[Naj]

More tomorrow since it's late here. I was wondering how Veena could possibly make this a different episode but she managed to do so. I was surprised and don't think we've ever had a episode end in this manner.

[coldfan74]

wow. riveting.
it was like watching a 20/20 docu-drama about college girls who were date raped 20 something years ago being interviewed..cold case style if that makes sense.
this was the first time i hoped they wouldnt be able to solve this case.
im surprised considering everyone has been under scrutiny since the office shootout in "stalker" that they completely broke cop ethics into coercing jimmy to confess in a way to legally let him slide as justifiable homicide. it was remarkable that even still jimmy was hestitant because it would subdue his reasons for killing the rapist.

i was really annoyed with vera in this episode. im no feminist but his sexist remarks about "the pursuit of romance" was pissing me off.

there is a lot of truth about how people defined rape 20 something years ago. i remember believing that rape wasnt something that happened to girls by guys they knew. rape was only something that happens to girls and girls only by strange men in masks who were obviously thugs. anything else was "passion" and just part of the chase.

[doctormel]

Help. Can someone tell me how it ended? The last I saw was the girl pulled a gun on the rapist and he pee'd his pants. The DVR cut off and I didn't get to see the rest.

[coldfan74]

it was jimmy..tessie's little brother
the team got him to confess but unethically maneuvered him to confess in a way that would legally get him off by justifiable homicide using the same rights suggested by officer lafferty when she went to tessie in 82 instructing her how to "defend herself" as a vigilante

[boxman]

naj said:

More tomorrow since it's late here. I was wondering how Veena could possibly make this a different episode but she managed to do so. I was surprised and don't think we've ever had a episode end in this manner.

Yeah, there were many moments when I thought this episode was going to fall flat. (I really wasn't hoping it would because the previews looked really good!) Like the idea of a serial rapist... didn't we see that already in 1.03 "Our Boy Is Back"?? Or the cocky frat boy (like 3.02 "The Promise)... Or a group murder (like 5.02 "That Woman")... Or the idea of a corrupt Philly cop (like in, oh, a LOT of episodes ;D ) So I too was really surprised at the ending!! I really liked it!

coldfan74 said:

i was really annoyed with vera in this episode. im no feminist but his sexist remarks about "the pursuit of romance" was pissing me off.

Yeah, but it was hilarious how Kat put him in place... Again! ;D

there is a lot of truth about how people defined rape 20 something years ago. i remember believing that rape wasnt something that happened to girls by guys they knew. rape was only something that happens to girls and girls only by strange men in masks who were obviously thugs. anything else was "passion" and just part of the chase.

I was thinking that too as I was watching this episode. So to me, that scene between Vera and Kat really drove the point across. I'd assume that the two characters are only about ten years apart in age; but as Officer Lafferty pointed out at the beginning of the episode, that's enough years to know there was a different perception about rape only twenty-five years ago...

Strange to see "Still Man" drinking beer... That, plus the swig of whiskey in last week's episode surrounds him with "negative" Cold Case symbolisms. And the skull & crossbones flying over his head didn't appear very positive (in terms of symbolisms) either...

[TVFan]

This was an excellent outing! One of my favorites this season. Since it's late here, I'm going to borrow from tomorrow's already written PTR entry.

It seems that some very small part of Lilly paid attention when her therapist told her that she's never going to stop having nightmares if she doesn't face what happened to her and the realizations that come with it. After the return of the nightmare, Lil woke up with an "Oh crap! My therapist was right" look on her face. So maybe she hasn't faced it, but at least she seems to realize that she needs to. Baby steps, but a very positive development in the emotional well being of our favorite cold case detective.

On to the case. This one had a VERY unsympathetic victim. LOVED, loved, loved Lilly and Kat's interrogations with the women -- victims themselves. I get that Lilly wants justice and she doesn't get to pick her victims, but she sure was bent on arresting this scumbag's killer. In her mind, it was all tied into this idea about facing the thing that's holding you back. She thought one (or all) of the women had killed Mike and the only way they were going to move on was to own up to it. When it became clear that they weren't responsible, she changed her tune. She made Jimmy say that Mike's murder was a case of "imminent danger" so he wouldn't be separated from his sister. Like Lilly, I'm a little torn about it. On the one hand, Mike was a creep and he would have continued to rape women, but on the other, murder is murder. I'm glad it ended as it did, but I couldn't help but feel a little morally wrong for feeling that way.

There was sooooo much funny goodness in this one. As usual, Kat and Vera had me cracking up. And then there was the entire gang's reaction to Jeffries being in charge. I lost it when someone made that paper "Lieutenant" sign! This (hopefully) temporary power shift is making for an interesting new dynamic. I like it when shows change things up (again hopefully) temporarily for the better. I also LOVED the scene between Will and Stillman on Stillman's boat. It was an insta-classic and a great way to have the wonderful John Finn in the episode. Overall, an excellent hour!

[skonygirl]

Loved the way this episode was directed. The best scene was at the police shooting range when the camera zoomed into the red section of the paper target to go into a flashback.

Question though..... was it the police taking down the mirrors in the girls bathroom so that the writing could be seen? or just a BIG coincidence?

[wfujim]

This was a decent enough episode. One thing I would have liked to see is the family of the "victim" (using the term loosely) being involved in the storyline, leaning on the team to solve the murder, which would have made the ethical dilemmas more pronounced in resolving the case.

[Naj]

It's so hard to capture what rape victims experience. I'm wondering if the gals had actually carried out the shooting if they would have been arrested but I guess they would have regardless of what this creep did. Imagine being one of those young women sitting and listening to this guy deliver the class speech and quoting King:

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.” “Be compassionate”.


Lilly’s nightmare. I hope she goes back to talk to that therapist. But knowing her, she won’t. At least she’s getting it. Again the case mirrors life events. Although it didn't impact me the way it used to in these cases. I'm not sure why that is maybe because I'd like Lilly to resolve her personal crap.


I thought it was respectful of Jeffries not just jumping into Stillman's seat. But he eventually did at the end. That Lieutenant paper name plate was so funny. So was some of the lines early on in the case with Lilly and Scotty:

“Run It” and Scotty said: “Sure Boss” and Lilly’s expression was so funny! And then with Kat: “Do you really need me to tell you what to do?” .. “Just checking, boss.” And they are all three smirking.

I really liked Maggie Rafferty. She had chutzpah! And what she did although not being exactly right was right. Police didn’t have a system to deal with these crimes because they weren’t acknowledgedd as such or the law. It was considered the gals fault if she got raped. It’s amazing how society has fought to change perception. We have to assume this stuff happens in real life, right? Maggie gave Jessie the gun. It’s interesting to see how much Maggie changed her life to help other women to become self-empowered. I’m wondering if there was a Rafferty in Philly homicide for real.

Noticed the discussion about "Ho's", anyone?

The final interrogation was interesting. However since Jimmy was a lawyer (it was implied although Tessie didn't say he *was* a lawyer only that Jimmy was *her* lawyer) so maybe I'm a little harsh on this but Jimmy caved so quickly. I felt that was a bit weak and critical. I did like the whole scenario of the last interrogation and I felt Michelle Greene did a great job. I wanted to give this ep a 'best of' but it just fell a tad short.

[Naj]

Hi wfujim Maybe they will have another episode that takes that stance.

wfujim said:

This was a decent enough episode. One thing I would have liked to see is the family of the "victim" (using the term loosely) being involved in the storyline, leaning on the team to solve the murder, which would have made the ethical dilemmas more pronounced in resolving the case.

[Naj]

coldfan: i was really annoyed with vera in this episode. im no feminist but his sexist remarks about "the pursuit of romance" was pissing me off.

there is a lot of truth about how people defined rape 20 something years ago. i remember believing that rape wasnt something that happened to girls by guys they knew. rape was only something that happens to girls and girls only by strange men in masks who were obviously thugs. anything else was "passion" and just part of the chase.

Maybe Vera had to take the old school of thought about woman saying "no" when they don’t mean it to press the point of how it’s now wrong. I'm not sure if he was being himself or just saying it to tick off Kat. It may have been the latter.

skonygirl: Loved the way this episode was directed. The best scene was at the police shooting range when the camera zoomed into the red section of the paper target to go into a flashback.

Question though..... was it the police taking down the mirrors in the girls bathroom so that the writing could be seen? or just a BIG coincidence?

I noticed that target shooting as well. I believe the mirrors were being taken down for the investigation.

[LillyKat]

I guess I am going to call this a classic Veena Sud episode – which was awesome and one of the best of the season. She always manages to touch deep, emotional chords with her stories and create such depth with the characters that you just really don’t want to blink for most of the hour. She also always manages to tackle some of the most sensitive issues with total aplomb. I found myself wanting Lil’ to just drop the case (like the rest of the gang) and let whomever killed Mike Delaney get away with it. Call it my Dexter hangover, but I did feel like the guy being offed might not have been a bad thing for the state of womankind back in the day.

But perhaps what I enjoy most about Veena eps is that given she is one of the few writers (and producers) left from the beginning of the series, the voices and actions of the homicide gang are always at their most revealing and top drawer best – whether that be the dialogue, the interaction, the motivation, the understanding, the camaraderie or all of the above. And it can be ever so subtle. I totally loved the line early on when Lilly wanted to get Tessie to fess up, but her lawyer brother Jimmy kept saying not to talk. Lilly starts in …and Jimmy asks, “I’m sorry, is that a monologue or a question?” Classic. And Lilly v. Lafferty was genius!

I always feel Veena goes back to the basics with Lilly, keeps it real (for lack of a better way of phrasing it), puts her back in forefront, taps into what I really know and love about the character. And I think she reminds us Lilly isn’t just going through the motions (as I sometimes feel happens nowadays … like Lilly is on auto-pilot or something and is just going through the homicide clone routine… LOL!).

Definitely not true with this episode. All of the you-gotta-deal-with-Lil-it-ain’t-going-away-anytime-soon came on pretty strongly. I was pleasantly surprised given sometimes this show tends to be painstakingly slow on getting to the crux of the issue with its main character. I didn’t feel this as much in the first two seasons, but the last couple have at times been way too convoluted for me. Sometimes, I really don’t want to wade through four layers of subtext. Sometimes, I just want it to be out there, blatantly obvious and showing us the raw true colors of the character. I still do feel Lilly coming to terms with the shooting is progressing at a snail’s pace, but I did like the obvious parallels between her being haunted and the rape victims being haunted.

I also thought the ending was one we hadn't seen before - and yet one of the best, especially when Lilly began to coax Jimmy into essentially NOT confessing to the crime, and instead, giving him an out with the self-defense angle. Totally gripped by that sequence - especially how it was cut sharply between the present day and flashback. Great edit, and strong directing of the two sequences.

And, I think all of the gang had some of their finest personal moments of the season in this episode – whether it was the always entertaining Kat and Vera chronicles, or seeing Stillman at peace out on his boat, or the gang ribbing Jefferies about being the boss … everything just had such a great flow and vibe. It just had Veena’s stamp on it, and as much as I do love Liz Garcia, I am always impressed by what Veena delivers.

Excellent ep.

[littlelaura1992]

What an amazing episode! I pretty much say that about every cold case episode these days but seriously...this one was amazing! This was such a strong episode and a real touching case. I think that Mike deserved what was coming to him personally. What kind of guy would hurt someone so bad that they are physically unable to get on with their lives? It was such a strong case. No one should ver be put through that type of ordeal.
On a brighter note, it was a really funny episode aswell. I enjoyed everyone making fun of Will being 'boss' and then Lilly right at the end calling him 'Will'.
I loved seeing Stillman on the show because personally I think that he is always going to be 'The Boss'. And him recognising how head-strong Lilly can be. And don't even get me started on Lilly! An excellent performance by Kathryn Morris yet again. I loved the nightmare part at the beginning and then her coming to work and that whole line 'I don't name 'em I just drink 'em.' ;D I was laughing so much! Then when she tells Tessie that she knows what she's went through and she's went through the nightmares. It was amazing and really believable! Also at the point where everyone was ganging up on her and wndering why she cared so much about this case....I just kept thinking 'she's gonna crack' but int typical Lilly fashion, she kept her cool.
The whole episode was really funny with that 'Lieutenant' sign! Then when Will threw it at Scotty...did anyone see Scotty's face? Brilliant!
And as usual, Kat and Vera having their arguments! Those two really keep it going for me!
I absoloutely loved the last interrogation (<<not sure if I spelt that right :S). When you saw Vera and Jeffries behind the glass and they turned off the sound! Oh I couldn't stop laughing! Then all the glances that Scotty kept giving Lilly as she was trying to convince Jimmy that he done the right thing. I was really glad that Jimmy never went down for the murder of Mike. Mike Delaney was a total scumbag and although no-one deserved to die, what he did to those girls was so horrible that I couldn't help feeling glad at the ending.

[scillylove]

Without question, my new favourite episode of season five.

I loved the blend of the case and the personal drama. It wasn't just a balance this week, it was a blend. The scene where Lilly was telling Tessie about her nightmares, trying to get her to open up, and of course the Lil/Scotty scene at the beginning were great. The only problem I had with it was how obvious it was Jimmy was the killer (I knew from that first scene he was in), but the final interrogation room scene, where they were all trying to get him to say he was in imminent danger...phenomenal job by all; my new favourite interrogation room scene as well.

The little "Lieutenant" sign they made for Jefferies: too funny!

And my God...has Michele Greene changed....

I was proud of them for doing an episode where they let the killer get away. That was a gutsy move (I figure most people didn't want Jimmy to go to jail for what he did, but there's always somebody you come across who's firmly against that, so it is gutsy). Of course just writing out Mike's parents (without giving an explanation for their abscence, I might add) made that easier to do, but still.

Now that Lilly's nightmares are sort of out in the open (Scotty knows at least) one wonders where they'll take it from here. I hope Scotty decides to do something about it...potential for L/S moments to make the shippers happy. Speaking of shippers, Vera/Kat are too adorable! They deliever every episode, I love it.

[Naj]

scillylove And my God...has Michele Greene changed....

Maybe some was the makeup.

I thought she rocked, though, especially in the final scene.

Michelle Greene

[riche]

I'm in danger of repeating much of what has been said already, so I'll try and avoid that.

It was a good episode but the story didn't grab me that much. I was taken more by the squad side of things, which of course played off the case.

Scotty is definitely having doubts about Lilly. At the beginning he gave her the "late night last night?" excuse before she had a chance to offer it. You would think he'd be showing some concern at the (fictional) excess drinking. And during the interrogation he was even more aware of it. Lilly did a runner afterwards to avoid him. It's all going at, as LK said, a snail's pace though.

The speed of Lilly's "dealing" is in contrast to Will's stepping into the void left by John. There's been little lead up to it, we're just right in there, and we seem to be about half way through John's time off already. He'll be back next week at this rate!

I can't help thinking that Vera had a bit of a point regarding "the chase". I am in no way condoning any form of attack against women, especially rape, which has to be the worst crime there is against an individual, but there can be a "chase" element to romance. When Kite was trying to talk his way into Lilly's house, as a way of breaking down some of the mental barriers, wasn't he "pursuing" her to some extent? After last week's run through the hospital it's clear that Vera is an old fashioned romantic at heart. The big lug

With my "I know him" theory I had the victim pegged as the "doer" from the opening shot. Shows what I know! The younger brother became my favoured suspect during the scene where he was sent up stairs as Tessie was given the gun. Which then went a little off track as the "multiple doer" scenario unfolded.

As far as Jimmy "getting away with it" goes I'm sure they all realise there's an emotional price to pay for committing an act like that, perhaps that's punishment enough. He was a child at the time and was acting in defense of a loved one and would not be considered a threat to society at large, at this time.

Was anyone else puzzled by the idea that Jimmy was 5' 2" - 5' 4" (from the ballistics report) at age 12? He was a good few inches shorter than his sister in the scene on the stairs.

skonygirl said:

Question though..... was it the police taking down the mirrors in the girls bathroom so that the writing could be seen? or just a BIG coincidence?

He looked like a school maintenance worker to me. It did look a little odd with Lil' and Will checking in each stall and there was that guy was taking a mirror off the wall for them. It implied he knew what was there.

littlelaura1992 said:

I loved the nightmare part at the beginning and then her coming to work and that whole line 'I don't name 'em I just drink 'em.' ;D I was laughing so much

It was actually "I don't make 'em, just drink 'em". She slurred her words a bit to emphasize how drunk she was. Poor Lilly

[longislanditalian2]

I noticed that Lilly awoke once again on her Daybed, why isn't she sleeping in her own bed??
Secondly, the newspapers on the ground scattered like that; represting how messed up her own life is?

[riche]

There were, what might be, some newspapers there but most of it was case files, I think. Lilly clearly is not happy about going to bed, knowing it means sleep and nightmares, perhaps she's just curling up with the files and dropping of, eventually.

[pealee]

There are no words. That was freaking AWESOME!

Me and CCGirl were flipping the whole time texting and calling each other. We had a blast and are watching it again tonight!

I loved how the team kept teasing Jefferies about being the "boss"

I love Kat and Vera together. They are hilarious.

Scotty is totally noticing something is up with Lilly.
The opening scene with her had me out of my chair.

The case was sad. I can't imagine being raped and the cops telling me to just lock my doors.

Awesome ep. One of my favorites for sure.