6.02 True Calling

[TVFan]

RUSH AND THE TEAM INVESTIGATE THE 1991 DEATH OF AN INNER-CITY SCHOOL TEACHER WHEN HER CAR KEYS ARE FOUND IN AN OLD DESK BY A FORMER STUDENT, ON "COLD CASE," SUNDAY, OCT. 5

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
David McKinney '91: Ken Meseroll
Laura McKinney '91: Cassidy Freeman
Margaret Trudlow '91: Susan Beaubian
Darnell Brent '91: Cleavon McClendon III
Renaldo Ramos '91: Jon Budinoff
Darnell Brent '08: Adetokumboh McCormack Carla Difranco: Chane't Johnson
Kenneth Yates '91: David Julian Hirsh
Carlton Rawls '91: Terrell Lee
Student '91: Sahra Mellesse
Yesenia Ramos: Marlene Forte
Renaldo Ramos '08: Andres Saenz-Hudson
Mrs. Harris: Starlette DuPois
Kenneth Yates '08: Scott Paulin
Carlton Rawls '08: Alex Morris
David McKinney'08: Steven Anderson
Margaret Trudlow '08: Patricia Belcher

WRITTEN BY: Christopher Silber

DIRECTED BY: Paris Barclay

[eurache]

I have unlocked the thread and poll!! Please do NOT post or vote until after the episode has been shown. There was a football game that ran past the scheduled time. So Cold Case new episode will not be shown until 9:30pm ET/ 8:30pm CEN/ 6:30pm PST! Thank you

[boxman]

Wow.

This was a simple case, and it was also very moving.

[coldfan74]

Story and plots were good.
The characters involved had strong motives and kept me guessing.
The sad irony was that the very people like Laura who were there to help these kids needed help himself.
For comic relief, Vera's apparent bad day was hilarious.
I'm not entirely sure if a person like Laura exists where a privileged woman chooses to teach at an inner city school. Call me cynical from my own experiences at a public school system but then again the area i grew up in wasn't half as bad as this area was portrayed to be.

Overall I gave this eppy Excellent. I wasn't too thrilled with the music choices this time around but it was an excellent story.

At the risk of sounding creepy and morbid, the actress who played Laura gave the best dead performance out of all the ones I've seen so far.

[longislanditalian2]

This episode had a lot of irony in it, but it made me remember a certain teacher who had made a difference back in the days; though that was long ago.

Did love how Lilly used a simple lie to get the teacher to talk; as Saccardo had said in the previous episode" Consider ourselves storytellers". Nice to see her back to her usual self again epecially duing interrogations.

Then there's humor: Vera's tie getting cut off and the photo that Saccrado had text messaged to Lilly. Was that the picture that he had snapped of her in " Bad Reputation" but also that same scene was used days ago when Kathryn appearence on the" Bonny Hunt Show".

Is Scotty fully aware about what Saccardo worked in, he even helped them out. Or was he simply trying to impress Lilly who quickly didn't show any interest in him. I took it as a little brother torturing his sister rather than him wanting to date her.

He knows all too well after the Christina thing( No Offenese, to the shippers. Just sticking among the story lines).

[boxman]

ColdFan74, this is where they bought their coffee.

[coldfan74]

Boxman:
Heh
I guess Cold Case is more accurate about portraying Philadelphia than ER is with Chicago.
ER does a horrible job of showing anything Chicago. Even those ridiculous L train shots are off. The interior is accurate but no one takes the Ravenswood Brown Line from County hospital and not everything Chicago is in the loop area LOL

I did find Laura's passion about teaching those kids about Philadelphia interesting.

[boxman]

Oct 5, 2008 21:48:07 GMT -5 coldfan74 said:

Boxman:
Heh
I guess Cold Case is more accurate about portraying Philadelphia than ER is with Chicago.

Yeah, I'm always impressed by how the show stays true to this city. I'm very happy to see them continue with this in Season Six, and this episode is no exception. While watching this episode, I could easily imagine the Lauras in this city, trying to make a difference. Not just as teachers, but everywhere. Just regular people, trying to do their part.

Chris and Paris, thumbs up to ya both! This was a very nice story about the people who try their best to make a small little difference in this world.

ER does a horrible job of showing anything Chicago. Even those ridiculous L train shots are off. The interior is accurate but no one takes the Ravenswood Brown Line from County hospital and not everything Chicago is in the loop area LOL

Ha ha ha.... Well, you don't have to spoil it now for the rest of us that don't live in Chicago. ;D

I did find Laura's passion about teaching those kids about Philadelphia interesting.

*sigh* God bless the Lauras of this world.

ETA:
This is a little better location on Google Maps. You can see the street lamp and the Greko building! ;D

[socceroos]

It was a great episode, I was really impressed, in the end when it shows Ronaldo reading about GED and her sitting across from him encouraging him to continue his studies was so heart warming. I had that guessed that she would 'reappear' to Darnell in his new classroom encouraging him to continue her work, but in the end Ronaldo needed her more than Darnell did.

[dya91101]

I thought it was very good and was moved by the inspirational teacher. Vera's funny bits were a crack up. I wish I could see Lilly in a new romance. The music brought back memories from that time period and the storyline was very inspiring but sad.

[longislanditalian2]

@dya91101- Lilly is in a new Romance, just to inform you.

[Collider]

Gave this one "excellent", though I felt it fell just a little short of that particular mark. Realistically, if possible, I would've ranked it somewhere in between "good" and "excellent"... but, since it was a vast improvement on last week's (which got a "good"), I pretty much had to give it the higher rating.

Pacing was much better this week, but something is still ever so slightly off-kilter. Can't put my finger on what, or even pinpoint any specific scenes or moments to demonstrate it, but nonetheless, something just feels... odd.

Wasn't strictly sold on the case - I'm a big fan of Dead Poet's Society style stories, and I wasn't completely sold on Laura as this great inspirational teaching figure... probably because we only saw very brief snippets of her actually teaching... but the music and the directorial style of the flashbacks really earned it some major points from me. Loved the overbearing use of red, especially - I am a total sucker for episodes that use this particular style, so I was feeling some serious love for that in particular. And, for me at least, a lot of the musical choices totally took me back to the 90s, so that worked too... though, for some reason, the REM song at the end grated a little. I'm a big REM fan, and in theory the song worked, so I'm not sure what that was about... but, again, something just felt a little off.

As with last week, I absolutely LOVED the little detective moments. Vera stole the show with his ballistics altercations and his tie fiasco (Stillman pointing out three-for-a-dollar on the corner had me in hysterics for about five minutes)... though that was followed very closely by Jeffries and his latest unfortunate lady friend. Poor Will, he really knows how to pick 'em. Wasn't too hot on the Lilly/Scotty vs Saccardo moment, as it seemed to have been thrown in there for the sake of A) giving Lilly and Scotty a shipper!moment, and B) reminding the universe that Saccardo is still around... but that was the only scene I specifically didn't care for.

Also, something I definitely missed last week, the interviews really stood out to me this week as cause for appreciation in their own right, as opposed to last week where they were forgettable and more a necessary means to an inevitable end. In particular - Scotty's rapport with Renaldo through all his interviews, Kat's chat with Darnell about his crush on Laura, and Lilly's "recovering addict" story all stuck fast in my mind for a good while after watching. Lilly's, especially, surprised me... I was all set to start throwing things in irritation, under the assumption it was another excuse for more "woe is me, my mother was an alcoholic, wah!" melodrama, but I rather enjoyed the 'storyteller' twist we got instead.

I'm sure there's more, but I'm running on no sleep, so I'll leave it here. On the whole, much better than last week, and a very entertaining episode in its own right, even if it did fall just a little short for me on the "inspirational" level.

[coldfan74]

Oct 6, 2008 9:35:47 GMT -5 Collider said:

Pacing was much better this week, but something is still ever so slightly off-kilter. Can't put my finger on what, or even pinpoint any specific scenes or moments to demonstrate it, but nonetheless, something just feels... odd.

You're not alone on that. Altho I thought it was an excellent episode myself..I felt something was off too.
IMHO, I thought it was strange that Renaldo which in the end revealed that Laura meant a lot to him was so reticient about pointing the finger to Kenneth all this time. It's not like they were close or anything. And it took a lot of coercing by the detectives for him to spill the beans. Even tho he said he knew the cops wouldnt believe him but still.
Also this episode barely resembled anything 1991.
I did like a couple of the music choices however. I have also a tough time believing that a 22 y/o is that mature let alone have enough accreditation with just a BA to teach the highschool level.
There are those who become assistants to HS coaches straight out of college but not likely teaching...even at inner-city schools.
[/quote]

Oct 6, 2008 9:35:47 GMT -5 Collider said:

Wasn't strictly sold on the case - I'm a big fan of Dead Poet's Society style stories, and I wasn't completely sold on Laura as this great inspirational teaching figure... probably because we only saw very brief snippets of her actually teaching... but the music and the directorial style of the flashbacks really earned it some major points from me. Loved the overbearing use of red, especially - I am a total sucker for episodes that use this particular style, so I was feeling some serious love for that in particular. And, for me at least, a lot of the musical choices totally took me back to the 90s, so that worked too... though, for some reason, the REM song at the end grated a little. I'm a big REM fan, and in theory the song worked, so I'm not sure what that was about... but, again, something just felt a little off.

Me too. I too am a little cynical about the whole Dead Poet Society spiel too.

As for the REM song, it was about despair and hopelessness. I felt the song was more suited for the students than it was for the victim.

[longislanditalian2]

No offenence to the shippers here, I respect you guys but I just think Saccardo and Lilly are good together

However getting back to Lilly, she seems a lot more content. I think she's moved past the shooting, but is coming back to herself ( Season 1 and2), joking and laughing. The Vera thing was pretty funny, found myself also laughing.

Sweet trick from Scotty to knock Renaldo down with kicking opene the car door, good action there. The theme of this story was true, that one teacher can in fact make a true difference no matter how rough a school can be. Still wonder if Laura would have lived, if Renaldo would have really changed his path.

[riche]

I have to agree with you all: a great episode. That is what CC is all about. A victim, often completely innocent or trying to do good being killed by someone that things they are going to be brought down by/is jealous of etc.

Apart from Kat and John (and he had the interrogation and "3 for 10 bucks" tie moment) I think all the gang got a good showing this week. Not sure how they managed that. Lots of lovely Lilly moments too. Yum!

The scene with Lilly and Scotty in the car was shown as a preview on the Bonnie Hunt Show. I'm pretty sure the photo on the phone was not the one that Eddie took when Lilly and he first met, and wasn't meant to be. As you can see it is a very different location, outside and Lilly's wearing red. Lilly's also got quite a goofy look on her face:



I think this shows that her and Eddie are spending time together, and Lilly's happy. I approve of at least one of those

I'm surprised Nick wasn't more mad about the tie. Playing a basic practical joke is one thing but they destroyed his tie. I'm sure you all spotted the Nick's tie nailed to the door in the background in one scene ;D



It's a Nick tie. Nick tie? Neck tie? Nick? Neck? I'll get my coat


This episode got an excellent from me. It could easily have got a "One of this season's best", which it was. But after only 2 it seems a little presumptious.


Hopefully the show can continue in this vein, perhaps with a little more background for the gang as well as the japery.

[cellogal]

Boy, did I love this episode. So much to love...where to begin?

The case: I'm a sucker for the "inspiring teacher" plotline, even if it is a bit cliche. This one contained a nice twist, and I'm very thankful they didn't go the "inappropriate relationship with a student" route. I really liked Laura, and I'm glad she was able to make a difference even in such a short time. Renaldo and Darnell were both really awesome people to get to know, too. I loved Scotty's interactions with Renaldo from start to finish.

The other stuff (and boy was there a lot of other stuff): The prank thing? So much win. I can't wait to see what Vera does to get back at them, because you know he's not going to let that go.

I adored each detective's individual contribution to the case, from Lil's "I used to be an addict" season 1 shoutout to Jeffries with that "rope-a-dope" witness, and of course, Vera and Carla. (Except...he better still be with Toni...) Bribing her with dinner and a show? I laughed so hard at that.

I think the best thing was just those little moments that remind us why we love these characters so much, from the pranks to Jeffries' brief but amusing battle with the fax machine, the fantastic car scene to Lil's "You're my hero" at Vera...it's SO nice to see the show's lighter side.

For a more detailed recap/review from me, visit www.TheTwoCents.com, the best thing to happen to TV since the On button!

[longislanditalian2]

But it looks as if Carla went alone, not with Vera. I doubt anything will happen since clearly it wasn't due out of love. Anyone notice how the flashback scenes were all dark, possibly symbolizing that these kids worlds were full of darkness. Only Laura was dressed in colorful clothes, possibly a reference to that she was bringing light into both the school and their lives.

The song by Seal : Crazy, if you listen to the lyrics it's kind of fitting to the flashback.

[riche]

Oct 6, 2008 17:34:46 GMT -5 longislanditalian2 said:

But it looks as if Carla went alone, not with Vera.

I think he went.

If she'd taken both tickets he might have got away with it. He reacted with a kind of resigned "OK, here I go" when she only took the one ticket, leaving one for him.

He seemed to enjoy The Rocky Horror Picture Show back in Creatures Of The Night so you never know he might have enjoyed it.

[TVFan]

I also enjoyed this one much more than last week's ho-hum premiere. I'm a sucker for an inspirational story, especially these inspirational teacher stories. Still, this episode was moving and well done. The case was one of those where you keep hoping that the writers had a last-minute change of heart and decided not to kill Laura. Notsomuch, I'm afraid. I was kinda glad that it wasn't Renaldo in the end.

I'm enjoying this new camaraderie between the CC detectives. Jennifer Johnson promised that we would get more practical jokes this season, and I'm liking it. I'm also liking the increase in bada** police action this season! That little scheme with Lilly and Scotty and the car door was great! It felt like there was more Lilly involvement with this case. Of course, it didn't hurt that she had the kicka** interrogation at the end with the addict teacher/doer. This was Classic Lilly! And like Collider, I was relieved to see Lil use the storyteller angle instead of the My Mother the Addict angle that the show loves to fall back on. After 5 seasons, we get it. So, it was nice to see something new and totally within the character of Lilly because we know that she lies in interrogations (as far back as the pilot when she lied about being a victim of domestic abuse). Plus, we saw her discussing this storytelling with Saccardo last week. It was a nice link and a show of continuation of that story and the character of Lilly.

Overall, a strong outing and a better indicator for the season than last week's premiere.

[eurache]

No L2, Vera had two tickets in his hands and Carla took one..plus I believe the deal was to take her out to dinner too. So like RichE said,

He reacted with a kind of resigned "OK, here I go" when she only took the one ticket, leaving one for him.

so they both went LOL Poor Vera ;D