Ep. 5.11 Family 8108

[TVFan]

THE TEAM ATTEMPTS TO SOLVE THE 1945 MURDER OF A MAN WHO MOVED HIS FAMILY TO PHILADELPHIA FOLLOWING THEIR RELEASE FROM A JAPANESE-AMERICAN INTERNMENT CAMP DURING WORLD WAR II, ON "COLD CASE," SUNDAY, DEC. 9

SERIES REGULARS:

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
Ray Takahashi (1942-1945): Ian Anthony Dale
Evelyn Takahashi (1942-1945): Mia Korf
Evelyn Takahashi (2007): Kim Miyori
Billy Takahashi (1942-1944): David Huynh
Barbara Takahashi (2007): Patti Yasutake
Eugene "Skip" Robertson (1942-1945): Sean Davis
Eugene "Skip" Robertson (2007): Jerry Douglas
Larry Scholz (1942-1944): Toby Meuli
Larry Scholz (2007): Jonathan Terry
Mary Anne Clayton (1942-1944): Erin Cottrell
Mary Anne Clayton (2007): Mary-Margaret Lewis
Shinji Nakamura (1944-1945): Ron Yuan
Shinji Nakamura (2007): Keone Young
Guard (1944): Ryan K. Smith

WRITTEN BY: Kellye Garrett & Elizabeth Randall

DIRECTED BY: Jeannot Szwarc

[vavavoomya]

Very static visually and not emotionally engaging Lacked the usal CC one two punch. Sad its the last new CC of the season befor the writers strike induced reruns

[michelle]

Wow! I can't say if this is a good ep or not because as soon as the Americans began rounding up those of Japanese descent to place them in "interment" camps, I began a feverish internet search to see if this was actually TRUE! Funny, it's never been mentioned in any history class I've ever taken, yet it happened. Right here in America. Home of the free? OMG--At the beginning of WWII the Germans placed Jews in walled off sections of the city that were nothing more than large prisons, where they were forced to live. It was a condition very like prisions with apartments, instead of cells. And less food. And less heat.

I am baffled, stunned, and shocked to find that we did exactly that to our Japanese citizens. Rounded them up and forced them into walled and barbed wired encampments. For the simple reason they were Japanese.

I found some info here:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_American_internment

There is no lack of other info sources online.

I am appalled that we Americans have done some of the very things that we castigate Germany for to this day. Not that it makes Germany's actions any better. But it makes ours, as Americans, much much worse. And please--correct me if I'm wrong, but it appears we slide over this part of our history in our education process. Has anyone learned of this in school?

As I stated above, I can't say very much about the content of this episode, as I've spent most of it researching, but I can say that the knowlege I now have because of this episode has shaken me.

[longislanditalian2]

I really like this episode, really good and sad. The ending was much different ,especially when it was about " Skip" reading Billy's letter. I really think Stillman made a good decision upon returning, I know that Lilly does need him a lot; since he's like a father to her.

What was going on between Lilly and Scotty at the beginning with her first avoiding him??

[Naj]

That was one heck of an episode! It's so sickening to see racial bias on the part of Americans and our government but then again there are underground facilities today that can be used against our own citizens if marshall law is enacted.

I am baffled, stunned, and shocked to find that we did exactly that to our Japanese citizens. Rounded them up and forced them into walled and barbed wired encampments. For the simple reason they were Japanese.

eta: now we know what the ep title means.


I wasn't aware that we did this to our own citizens either but also it doesn't surprise me given the way everyone other than white men were treated back in the 40's. I was glad there wasn't a love connection between the father and the quaker gal. That really would have ruined the entire story.

I loved how they told this story and the underscore was very moving at the end as well as the letter reading from the son, Billy. A very strong guest cast episode. I really liked it.

[coldfan74]

michelle/naj - i find it disturbing that there are people that know nothing about the japanese internment camps. it's common knowledge. or at least i thought. it's NOT a slam against you. im just genuinely surprised. kind of i guess since its a touchy subject and taboo.

naj - the underscore youre referring to was also used in "shuffle ball change" in the flashback scene when maurice was auditioning

this episode was thought provoking at different levels but i think the pieces of the whole story were a bit too stretch to follow through but it wasnt dull to keep me from watching it. the ending was a little too sudden and unexpected since we never heard anything from skip since his first interrogation.

this story seems to be loosely based on the auto-biography of Ben Kuroki. the story is endearing but the real life complexities and the struggles involved was too much for a 40 minute tv program to give it the emotional impact it deserved. i dont blame the writers for it. the subject involving people like ray who struggled between american loyalty and constantly being challenged by americans who were prejudiced during a time of war is taboo even still which is probably why most people are either oblivious to the subject or apathetic. although the holocaust is often discussed more which i always thought was interesting.

i noticed this episode is aired around the time when the vets from pearl harbor are being honored around this time.

anyway i give it an okay rating. good endearing story..but its too much for a program like cold case to give the subject justice

[vavavoomya]

There was a movie made in 1990
Starring Dennis Quaid called Come to the Paradise made about these dark times in our history

[babyv16]

I don't know what to think about the ep right now. I'll get back to that tomorrow. It's too late for me to think clearly right now..

I just came on here to say to michelle, I took U.S. History last year....nothing was ever mentioned! Shocking isn't it? I was watching it with my mom and I asked her if she had ever heard of that being done, and she said she never has!

[boxman]

I really liked this episode. It's detail was great, and I liked how a number of historical facts were woven in and brought down to the personal level.

My main question before viewing it was how the writer would explain how a Japanese West Coast family ended up in Philly. There's a lot of Asians in this city, but I don't know of any Japanese families here. There's a logical and historical explanation why:

I know a Japanese guy here, and he told me of a story of how in the late 1990s he was shopping at a Wal-Mart in Northeast Philly. Out of nowhere, an old man grabbed his arm and asked him if he was Japanese and where was he from! He said he could tell by looking at the old man, that the guy was agitated at seeing him. To make a long story short, my AJA acquaintance had to explain that he was a fourth-generation American, and that his great-grandfather moved to America in the late 1800s to work as a farmer because the opportunities here was much better than in Japan--not unlike the reasons why many Europeans moved to the states in that same time period. During WWII, his family was here, in the US, as US citizens. This calmed the old man down quite a bit, and eventually the old man explained that he was a WWII veteran and had many of his friends die in the Pacific theater.

Post WWII Philadelphia wouldn't attract Japanese Americans simply because many here served in the war, and they'd feel hostile to them like how Eugene "Skip" Robinson had felt. And like my friend's experience showed, a lot of that can still be carried today too, so I approached the episode with a bit of skepticism. At the same time, the story of Mary Anne's character rang true to me too:

William Penn named Philadelphia after the Greek ( ) words meaning "Brotherly Love". As a Quaker, he had experienced the turmoils of religious persecution in Europe. He had hoped Pennsylvania and Philadelphia could attract people of all Christian denominations to live peacefully together. The Amish, Mennonites, and other non-Roman Catholic Christian groups that populate Pennsylvania's Dutch Country branched out from Anabaptists and other early reformers that often turned to radicalism to separate themselves from the Roman Catholics. Many Pennsylvanian Protestant/non-Catholic Christians groups are very strongly pacifists, moving here in the late 1600s/early 1700s to separate themselves from the warring that developed from the Protestant Revolution. But while their pacifist and religious beliefs would not allow them to fight in our military as soldiers, during wartime many would accept supporting roles such as medical staff, and in this episode, as teachers too. These roles would be acceptable and in-line with their beliefs in generosity and non-violence.

So in the end, the Mary Anne/Philly storyline worked out very well and quite believable to me. I was rather impressed by it!

The tragic twist of how Billy enlisted when he became disillusioned by his father was also quite ingenious. I thought that storyline was rather deep and transcended beyond just the Takahashi family. It seems to me that many of the young men and women who enlist in the military from Philly's inner city neighborhoods aren't much different from Billy. Like him, their ideals and dreams are much bigger than what the city can give them, and they leave with the hope that with their experience abroad, they can return to make things better back home. So to me, that revelation about Billy's family problems seemed to honor a lot of people who serve in our armed forces that come from families with humble origins. I liked this angle of portraying enlistees much better than last season's "The War At Home". I also found it very creative how Billy's 'enlistment plot twist' seemed to parallel the same drive to excel we see in Lilly, and how her anger and embarrassment with her mom seemed to have played an important part in choosing a career in public duty. So yet again, the writers find a creative means to tell a very Lilly-centric story in an episode that wasn't Lilly-centric.

--The Evelyn Takahashi "Plate Breaking" scene was a nice allusion to "Farewell to Manzanar", one of the first and very few movies (or television shows) that tell the story of the US Japanese-American internment camps. In that movie, the mother of the Japanese family is offered fifteen dollars for a set of expensive chinaware. Instead of selling it to the dealer (who is lowballing and trying to take advantage of the family's situation), the mother angrily smashes the china in front of him.

--Again, yet another coffee scene in this episode...

--Interesting how the color Red is used in Stillman's lunch/bar scene. Red usually foreshadows anger, yet the red lamps and the red chili-sauce bottle didn't foreshadow an argument there. StillMan is also drinking beer, and this doesn't have any negative connotations either. (Alcohol or anything alcohol-related usually denotes a person's poor or weak character in the show.) The way the usual Cold Case symbolisms don't work with Stillman is similar to how Kat's black leather jacket never seemed to amount to much regarding her character; though it usually foreshadows a suspect's guilt.

--Later, Evelyn's red jacket does foreshadow a scene of an argument between her husband and son...

--The number "8" still continues to appear in the show and it's storyline... What does that number infer to??

BTW, my Japanese acquaintance tells me how funny it is that he's actually "more American" than a number of Philadelphians. His family's been US citizens since the late 1800s, whereas there are Philadelphians who've moved here from Europe only since the early 1900s.

coldfan74 said:

michelle/naj - i find it disturbing that there are people that know nothing about the japanese internment camps. it's common knowledge. or at least i thought. it's NOT a slam against you. im just genuinely surprised. kind of i guess since its a touchy subject and taboo.

Yeah, I agree that it's a bit disturbing to me too that people won't "go there" and discuss all the dirt in our country's history too. Why should it be a "touchy" or "taboo" subject anyway, when we can discuss other things such as slavery for example?? I'm not saying this as a reason to 'hate our country', but as a nation we should be able to acknowledge the mistakes we've made in our history and learn from them.

[Naj]

Wow, boxman. There's lots there in your post to chew on. Amercian History taught when I went to school painted a literal picture of life kinda like the Dick and Jane reading series' in first grade. Even in ninth grade our Civics class which was devoted entirely to Pennsylvania history had no mention of Japanese interment camps or any such mention of large population Asians in Philadelphia. So that's all I have to compare my learning with. Do they teach it today? I have no idea, either.

Coming from the time I did growing up - 1960 -70's, I can see pure hate for certain races based upon our military involvement. Interracial marriages were not accepted and I also remember even in the 60's running into a black family while out shopping at a womans clothing store in town. I never knew there were black people and I stared and got yelled at by my mother. (she never taught me there were other races in the world yet somehow I was expected to know at 6 years of age). My father was in WWII and he said some things about other races that I can't even repeat here so I can say there was a mind set about anyone other than being white that is just engrained in our society. So there had to be viewers out there watching who didn't know about this as well even if they are my generation or older and found this episode educational.

The tragic twist of how Billy enlisted when he became disillusioned by his father was also quite ingenious. I thought that storyline was rather deep and transcended beyond just the Takahashi family. It seems to me that many of the young men and women who enlist in the military from Philly's inner city neighborhoods aren't much different from Billy. Like him, their ideals and dreams are much bigger than what the city can give them,

That this is something common to us all no matter what our background. The stages of every minority trying to find a good life.

also found it very creative how Billy's 'enlistment plot twist' seemed to parallel the same drive to excel we see in Lilly, and how her anger and embarrassment with her mom seemed to have played an important part in choosing a career in public duty. So yet again, the writers find a creative means to tell a very Lilly-centric story in an episode that wasn't Lilly-centric.

I didn't make that connection until I read this.

The number "8" still continues to appear in the show and it's storyline... What does that number infer to??

Life Path 8

[Naj]

coldfan michelle/naj - i find it disturbing that there are people that know nothing about the japanese internment camps. it's common knowledge. or at least i thought. it's NOT a slam against you. im just genuinely surprised. kind of i guess since its a touchy subject and taboo.

naj - the underscore youre referring to was also used in "shuffle ball change" in the flashback scene when maurice was auditioning

No I didn't know. See my above post. Thanks for the info about the underscore.

[coldfan74]

always count on boxman to find the details we all miss and point them. good job
in honesty im surprised you're not a filmmaker or screenwriter if youre not. you seem to have the passion and capacity to appreciate the miniscule details of how every plot can tell a story as well as the scenes themselves.

to digress, my highschool history teacher was one of those that challenged us to think outside the book. (the book was ridiculous!!!) the majority of the class were heavy in politics and knew we werent going to swallow crap. he wasn't an ultra-liberal but rather more moderate than anything else. heavy discussion about the implications of the civilians caught in the middle of the wars was encouraged which was how i knew about the internment camps.
we went as far as discussing why there was a debate of not referring them as concentration camps misleading the comparison between manzannar and auschiwitz

[LillyKat]

I had been looking forward to seeing this ep for a different reason than most given it was written by Kellye Garrett (hired this summer as a CC staff write; article is here). She and her writing partner (Elizabeth Randall, who also co-wrote this ep) had done some work on my other favorite show The Closer, so I was really looking forward to seeing what they would bring to CC – not only because of The Closer connection, but also because Kellye had been a longtime fan of the show before actually being hired to write for it.

And wow, what a debut. I thoroughly enjoyed this ep – ranks as one of my favorites for this season. It had all the elements I love in a CC episode – older case (40s-ish are my favorites); tied to a historical event; compassionate victim with a compelling, unpredictable storyline; and some great personal moments between my two favorite characters, Lilly and Stillman.

I actually felt as if the Lilly/Stillman moments were some of the best of series. Lilly also seemed, at least to me, to be much more like her older self in this episode. I had watched a couple of first season episodes over the weekend, so the comparison was fresh in my mind. Some of the sublties I enjoyed from the earlier seasons were on much better display – she had a strength once again, a confidence even just in the way she spoke in questioning …sort of that no-nonsense mixed with compassion. She did not seem like a lost zombie going through the motions (as I fear at times she’s begun to do over the past couple of seasons).

And it was great to see such quality Lilly/Stillman interaction. I’ve always felt the Lilly/Stillman dynamic to be one of the best – the father-figure/mentor he has always been to her; how she is really like his protégé at times, etc. Kathryn Morris and John Finn create this chemistry with such ease. It’s truly such a pleasure to watch.

As for the case, I am grateful that when I was in school, we were taught about Japanese Internment (shocks me if this is no longer the case). It was indeed another time in the history of this country whereby we got it way wrong (and again recently, when we decided to be suspicious of every Arab-American post 9/11. Ridiculous. Can we not ever learn from our past historical mistakes? Oy vey.). Anyways, CC never fears shedding light on these uncomfortable times, which is why I enjoy the older cases – especially when they are tied to a larger historical context, like WWII.

I also consider myself grateful to actually know of Manzanar – both from historical context, but also seen it numerous times when my family and I used to make the trek up US Route 395 for some of our winter vacations at the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area. Manzanar is located in the Owens Valley (on the Eastern Side of the Sierra Nevadas), and whilst the Owens Valley is beautiful, for me, it gives a powerful sense of remoteness and isolation – especially framed against the towering mountain ranges that make up that side of the Sierra Nevadas. I remember wondering how could it be that people really were forced to live out there - in shacks, freezing, cold, desolate, isolated, alone for no real good reason.

For years, the site was indeed barely noticeable. If I remember correctly, it was basically one small crumbling guard shack, and a dirt road that served as entrance to the camp. Though the site was deemed a National Historic Landmark in the 1970s, it really wasn’t until April 2004, when they opened the Manzanar National Historic Site and Interpretive Center, that the site and the history were given its proper tribute and due. There is now a museum, and they have reconstructed certain parts of the camp to give visitors a much more realistic sense of what the camp life was unfortunately like. My co-worker, who had family interned at the camp, has visited. She was quite moved (her mother refuses to go and/or even speak of it; the wounds are still very deep - even 50 years later).

As for the episode, the performances of the entire guest cast were just spot on. Ian Anthony Dale’s portrayal of Ray is one of the best of the season (I think). He could convey such a range of emotion with just one twist of his expression - disgust, pain, happiness, anger. There was a quiet rage juxtaposed against such a sense of honor and pride ... it was all really powerful.

I really enjoy Jeannot Szwarc’s direction – there is such emotion to her sequences, her shot selection. It seems almost tender at times. And the ending montage, using the voiceover of the Billy’s last letter to Ray instead of a song ... brilliant.

Bravo all the way around – to Kellye and Elizabeth for the story; Corey Kaplan and Co for flawless production value once again; Jeannot Szwarc’s direction; the CC casting department for a phenomenal supporting cast; and to the regular gang for always keeping us coming back for more.

It's a shame this season looks to be cut short. I think the show is on a roll.

[littlelaura1992]

I really enjoyed this episode.
Everyone is always saying how the war was horrible and tragic but I, for one, never realised it's impact until this episode. Billy was such a compassionate victim and he went to fight for his country even though his country let him down. And all the soldiers really did deserve medals. I was so upset at how the japanese were treated when they were born in America but looked japanese. I thought it was so unfair and those camps were horrible. I really felt for this family.
I was so touched at Vera in this episode. He was so honourable towards the soldiers when he talked about them deserving medals. And Lilly and Stillman were very good too. A great interaction between them and I loved that he finally came back to his job. Lilly leaving the file at the bar was genius
My favourite scene overall had to be when someone had to take the 5 hour journey. Very Funny. (Lilly: Shame I got all this paperwork. Scotty: Shame I'm still on hold) ;D
Haha! Very Funny!!

[coldboneslove398]

I had high hopes for this episode and was afraid that the "Cold Case" team couldn't deliver, but they did. By the end, I was crying about this one because It's something I feel I can relate to. That my ancestors in America had to survive this.

Really good. Historically accurate and great performances,writing,directing, and editing.

It's really sad that people saw us as "monsters" during the war-time when we were just as Americans as other people. America is a country that doesn't belong to anybody but the native americans(who are now pushed off into reservoirs). Basically, America is a cooking pot of people. So I couldn't get why people were so angry towards one race.

[exene]

I heard stories of veterans from Vietnam getting paranoid every time they see Asian people but I thought that was a joke.

I'm American and people have mistaken me for Japanese before.

It broke my heart when Ray met Skip and Skip said 'only Americans get medals' because of his traumatic ordeal in the war. It also broke my heart because he was so close to the Takashi family and was Billy's best friend. Even after he read Billy's letter he still had that fear/hatred in him even to his old age.

Your not Native American Skip! Everybody born here is American.

[riche]

I can't say the episode grabbed me but I did appreciate the story they were telling and the attempt to put another view on more recent events.

I didn't know about these internment camps until today. I can't condone the treatment of American citizens of Japanese decent but in the aftermath of the Perl Harbor attack you can understand the paranoia. And, all though the conditions they were held in clearly fell well below what they had a right to expect, and the situation was not dealt with well, it could be said that these people were being protected. Comparisons with Nazi Germany are easy but far from correct. One was an attempt to wipe out a race, the other was not.

I thought the opening scene with Lilly and Scotty was going to turn into another "out drinking" chat but didn't, thankfully. Lilly seemed a little lighter in mood this week almost playful, lots of smiling. Which is always a good thing.

But fewer humourous scenes than of late. Only the "5 hour drive" one involving Nick stood out.


CBL, I think you meant reservations Reservoirs are primarily artificial lakes, such as those created by damning a river. I'm sure there were some atrocities committed against the native Americans, but I hadn't heard about them involving involuntary high-diving.

[anneinchicago]

I loved the episode. I love Cold Case for airing issues no one else does. javascript:add("%20;D")
Grin

I loved how Vera went from disbelief and almost hostility to sympathy. I loved Kat's silence when she was asked if, after 911, she would want to sit next to an Arab on an airplane. I loved how they showed how war changes people, taking Skip on a journey from a caring human being who saw people as only people to one who could only see stereotypes. I loved the father asking if the German soldier had relatives fighting for Hitler, thus not only showing how Ray tried to stand up for himself, but how unfair it was for only the Japanese to be locked up.I just plain loved it.
I loved the recognition they gave the son's fighting unit. I loved them getting their medals.

Even though the whole episode made me cry.

And no,, as far as I know, the Internment camps are not taught in history classes. And, just so you know, the Japanese were <I>not</I> the only Americans put into camps. One of our lines of defense was the Aleutian Islands, between Alaska & Russia. These islands had their own, Native American population. These people, supposedly for their own protection, were rounded up and dumped in unsanitary, drafty, camps as well where many died.

My mother in law (not Japanese) does/did have Japanese friends who were in the camps. George Takei, who played Sulu in Star Trek, was in a camp and is involved I believe) in their preservation.

And round of applause for Cold Case.

[samanda]

anneinchicago said:

And no,, as far as I know, the Internment camps are not taught in history classes. And, just so you know, the Japanese were <I>not</I> the only Americans put into camps. One of our lines of defense was the Aleutian Islands, between Alaska & Russia. These islands had their own, Native American population. These people, supposedly for their own protection, were rounded up and dumped in unsanitary, drafty, camps as well where many died.

When I took US History in middle school, we learned about the internment camps for the Japanese and then in my Junior year of high school, we also learned about the others (Germans and Italians). I, too, thought that it was common knowledge, but I guess it really depends on where and when you went to school.

[coldboneslove398]

a2z said:

anneinchicago said:

And no,, as far as I know, the Internment camps are not taught in history classes. And, just so you know, the Japanese were <I>not</I> the only Americans put into camps. One of our lines of defense was the Aleutian Islands, between Alaska & Russia. These islands had their own, Native American population. These people, supposedly for their own protection, were rounded up and dumped in unsanitary, drafty, camps as well where many died.

When I took US History in middle school, we learned about the internment camps for the Japanese and then in my Junior year of high school, we also learned about the others (Germans and Italians). I, too, thought that it was common knowledge, but I guess it really depends on where and when you went to school.

Yeah, I guess. I learned about this in 7th grade...a while ago. My teacher also showed me a movie on the conditions of these internment camps and the lives of the people living there(it was based on a true story) and at the end I was crying....alot, not like the way I was crying at the end of this episode....but that movie was really sad and a lot of hatred burned up inside me.

Also at the end of the movie, a lot of people were staring at me. Felt kinda weird too, but my friends in that class came up and gave me a hug.