Ep. 5.14 Andy in C Minor

[TVFan]

AFTER NEW EVIDENCE CONFIRMS THAT A DEAF TEENAGER WAS MURDERED, THE TEAM SETS OUT TO FIND HIS BODY AND KILLER, ON "COLD CASE," SUNDAY, MARCH 30

Shoshannah Stern ("Jericho") Guest Stars


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

Andy Rierdan.................................. Ryan Lane

Jarrod Jones...................... Dondre T. Whitfield

Carlos Ramirez.......................... Michael Davis

Leah O'Rafferty.................... Shoshannah Stern

Dean Vivian Harden....................... Lilli Birdsell

Ed Rierdan.............................. Bob Hiltermann

Julia Rierdan............................... Kalen Feeney

Emma Walker................................. Collen Foy

Al Walker.................................... Joe Sabatino

Student #1.................................. Evelina Gaina

Teacher...................... Michael Anthony Spady

Secretary..................................... Lisa Hermatz

Student #2.................................. Lance Patrick


WRITTEN BY: Gavin Harris

DIRECTED BY: Jeannot Szwarc

[longislanditalian2]

I knew taking American Sign Language back in High School would one day be useful. During this episode I could easily read most of the signs.


It is true that once a deaf person gets as Cochlear implant they aren't members of the deaf community. People who are deaf are very proud of who they are; in fact it doesn't stop them from doing everything that a hearing person could do.

Although I could understand why Carlos hated Andy for getting the it. He was born deaf jeolous of losing his best friend and being alone. Somehow I corrolated that part of being alone to Lilly whose fear of that is very evident.

I liked how Veronica met her father especially with that ending song" I will look after you". That was very fitting especially because Andy had mentioned that he hears things with his eyes.

In the end I loved how Emma signed" I love you" to Andy's ghost as Lilly appeared. You can tell she in sad inside but the scene really showed how blue her eyes were .


All in all I loved this episode a lot. It was a good mix showing how both the hearing and deaf world were. One side note Lilly looked so different as she stared up at the moon. It was like she was trying to make some sense of her life in a way..

[coldfan74]

Good episode.
Everyone was virtually a suspect for different reasons.
I think the subject regarding how different the deaf and hearing can be different and separate worlds was excellent and a sad reminder how we as people tend to isolate and be isolated and long to have the things most of us take for granted.
The relation to music between the characters was well written.
I know this episode will disappoint those looking for more personal stuff about lilly but it was refreshing to see Miller have more screen time for a change and how she learn to let her past go for her kid's sake as the deaf parents did.
As long as they write decent stories like this with good drama acting, I dont give a [my own expletive] what time era it's set in.
But they did use the signature sad ending montage. Nice ending. Great songs.

[longislanditalian2]

One more thing getting a cochler implant isn't an out patient thing. It attaches into the person's skull and a wire is inserted into the ear canal. It requires being in a hospital not the sort of thing that gets done quickly.

Andy would not have been back at school right away, not after having that done on him. In the storyline it wasn't accurate at all. He would have still be hospitalized.

[cellogal]

Well, as thrilled as I am to have this show back, I could only give it a "good." It's hard to describe, but something just seemed..."off," a little sluggish, maybe. It didn't seem like the detectives were really "there," maybe because of the long hiatus. I'm sure it might take them an episode or two to get their groove back.

More specific comments...

LOVED the Kat/Vera exchange about Veronica's dad. TT did an awesome job in that scene, and it was nice to get a glimpse of Kat's background. I hope we see more sometime. And Vera was great; blunt without being obnoxious. Best scene of the episode.

Also liked Vera learning sign language, and that little exchange with Scotty was fun. And that look Scotty gave Vera at the beginning...my Chinese-American husband describes that as the "you stupid American" look.

The case was pretty interesting...I liked the exploration of the conflict between the deaf world and the hearing world. It almost seemed to me to be similar to racial conflicts; "us" versus "them," "stick with your own kind," etc. I kinda figured it was the best friend. And, as a classical musician, being bludgeoned with a metronome had a particularly disturbing quality. (Wonder where the metronome ended up; I don't recall anyone ever finding it).

On an extremely shallow note, I was thrilled to see that KM looks healthier than she did before the hiatus! Also thrilled to see the ponytail and the donut references, which I will take as direct shout-outs, even though I hadn't written those chapters when this episode was being written.

Next week's looks intense...

[boxman]

I really enjoyed this episode. All throughout the hour, I kept thinking to myself how beautiful everything was -- not just seeing a fresh new episode again, or the nice photo effects in the flashbacks. I just really liked the entire storyline itself. I'm much more a fan of episodes like this one that paces out slowly and examines the stories behind each character. It seemed to me there were subtle hints of "Romeo & Juliet" to Andy and Emma's relationship which I thought was a nice touch. It gave the episode a nice, "classic" feel to me as the story unfolded.

Ryan Lane was outstanding as Andy, and for me he stole nearly every scene he was in. He might become yet another one on my "all-time favorite victims" list. The whole cast had a lot of exceptional moments in this episode too. It was great to see each detective have this coming back from that mid-season break we had this year.

[The Reverend Bizarre]

I'm still absorbing this episode, taking everything in. I have to say that this was a wonderful return to form. One of the parts that really stuck out to me was when Andy was talking to Emma about seeing sounds. It reminded me of a conversation I had a couple of years ago on another forum. The topic was slightly the opposite, "Can you hear color?"

I'm not entirely sure how to describe it, but thanks to the mind, it is possible for a person to "See sound." (Person for example sees rain, and can imagine in their mind music playing.) and "Hear visuals" (Person hears music (for example) and can visualize something based off of what they hear.) Of course this would only work for people who were once able to hear or see. (Andy didn't become deaf until he was 7.)

My biggest gripe was the music. I understand that this music was popular back in 2006, but it all sounds the same.

[longislanditalian2]

One thing Vera couldn't have learned ASL in one afternoon that is impossible. Even on my first day of learned basic signs it took me awile. I think there was big lack of research not done by the writers.

They didn't have all of their facts straight about deaf culture.

Deaf people are proud of who they are.( this episode but be racist to them especially the there was so many innconsistant facts) Thought I am not deaf this episode didn't sit quite well with me.

They can function perfectly without the use of sound, especially with modern technologies (TTY and Computers). Even before they want the hearing world to understand that their culture is beautiful one.

They don't hate the hearing world just don't want to become one of them. Some do requardless but others see no point of wanting to get one.

For one I saw that Andy had some personal struggles wanting to fit in, plus falling in love with a hearing girl. Also that he wanted to feel that joy of hearing himself play the piano again.

Carlos lived his whole life being deaf and not wanting to change who he was. Then seeing how Andy wanted to leave the world for the hearing bothered him. I think the interpreter should have been there with Kat and Vera just for Clearification.

Even if the parents knew had to lip read ( most deaf people can be not all know how). It's still important to have one but getting back the murder I think Carlos hid the weapon after he had cleaned up the scene, that he might had confessed right after being locked up ( who knows for sure).


I like how Vera mentioned Toni's kid Andre. About time they mentioned them, it's good how he talked some sense into Kat. Even when Andy's parents mentioned this" If it meant losing my child forever".

She was bothered by this so much that at the end you could see many emotions floating around inside of her mind. Veronica looked happy to meet her father.

[The Reverend Bizarre]

Yea, but Nick's signing was really cruddy. Carlos even stated twice that Nick's signing was terrible. I mean it's not like Nick was perfectly signing words. In fact you could see him struggling to remember some of the things, and his ASL vocabulary was very limited.

"I am detective Ve-ra" "This is detective J-e-f-f-e---r-i-e-s" Technically you have 6 words, and 9 letters. Not that much at all.

[boxman]

cellogal said:

...And, as a classical musician, being bludgeoned with a metronome had a particularly disturbing quality. (Wonder where the metronome ended up; I don't recall anyone ever finding it).

I'm sure it's under the floorboards, next to the beating heart...

xuchilbara said:

My biggest gripe was the music. I understand that this music was popular back in 2006, but it all sounds the same.

LOL...

[longislanditalian2]

Still Vera tried but really they could have used an interpreter that can be helpful to them. His signs were very sloppy and he didn't use any facial expressions.

I still think the interpeter should have continued to sign for Lilly even though Carlos could lip read. That's important especially to understand completely what each other is saying. I think that it was kind of bad on Lilly's part for raising her voice.



Don't get me wrong I like this episode to a point. I 'm glad to have new episodes, this is still my favorite show.

[The Reverend Bizarre]

Alright I'm confused LII. First you say that Nick was learning ASL too quickly, and now you're saying that he was too cruddy and didn't use any expressions.

Of course he didn't because he was still learning. But you can't complain that someone's "Learning something to quickly, but they're not learning quickly enough."

I apologize, but I just don't think Nick's signing was that huge of a deal. One thing I've noticed about Nick is that on the surface he seems closed minded, but he's always willing to give something a shot, just once, if it means helping with a case.

I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Nick tried learning another language if it meant helping to solve a case.

[anneinchicago]

First, this episode once again reenforced why I love Vera. On the outside, he looks and acts like a big, dumb, a##hole cop. But, among all of them, he's the most open-minded. Dating a black woman, bonding with the Amish, trying to learn ASL... He sees people...

And I loved his talk with Kat...

I really wanted to like this show. I did. But the plotholes ruined it for me.

What happened to the metronome. (And where was the body and how did it get there?)

The whole lip-reading thing was stupid? Ridiculous? It's incredibly hard to accurately read lips.

But the biggest plothole, to me, was the whole reaction to Andy wanting an implant. Especially his parents' reactions. His father worrying about Andy thinking his parents would be freaks, if he could hear and move into the hearing world, because they were deaf (I am paraphrasing)

Hello. Did Andy think they were freaks when he was six? Or seven? Because Andy started out as a hearing child. Everyone acted as if Andy had been deaf all his life (except for Emma) yet he had been born a hearing person.

And I hated the Dean. Let's cloister the kids so they never have the chance to explore other, hearing options because being deaf is just so special. Sorry. Yes, the kids should be proud of who they are, but deafness isn't for everyone. If a kid can be made to hear and if that kid wants to, then they should be supported. /rant off

[coldfan74]

each episode vera annoys me and then next he redeems himself which makes jeremy ratchford's acting effective for me.
he (vera) seems sexist (ep: superstar/justice), impatient (ep: saving sammy) and a bit of an archie bunker (ep: badlands, ep: family 8088) then he debunks that impression in a later episodes.

annie: you have a good point about the dean which is why carlos' reaction to the dean in the final interrogation scene unsurprising and well deserved.

as far as the details of what happened to the metronome and how andy's body ended up in the ground..does it matter? it doesnt take much to assume weapons can be hidden or destroyed and carlos is not paralyzed or weak to move a body .

from what i got in this episode was a lot about indentity crisis, love, and bitterness wrapped up in an emotional motive to murder andy. cold case isn't CSI which is about the forensic science of whodunnit, its mostly always have been about why.

as for the lipreading. why is that a plot hole? MOST deaf people in reality can read lips. they're not mentally retarded.

i didnt think anyone thought andy was deaf all his life. it was stated that he wasn't. many people just reacted to his hard-core mentality of not wanting to be part of the hearing world in the same way some people of certain races act "pro-something"

[boxman]

anneinchicago said:

But the biggest plothole, to me, was the whole reaction to Andy wanting an implant. Especially his parents' reactions. His father worrying about Andy thinking his parents would be freaks, if he could hear and move into the hearing world, because they were deaf (I am paraphrasing)

Hello. Did Andy think they were freaks when he was six? Or seven? Because Andy started out as a hearing child. Everyone acted as if Andy had been deaf all his life (except for Emma) yet he had been born a hearing person.

Hi, Anne. I thought both parents acted in the typical manner that parents act when they suddenly discover their teenage kid doesn't want to follow the kind of life the parents had been raising and planning for their kid all their life. For example, the kid who tells his parents he doesn't want to take over the family business and wants to be a musician instead. Or the kid who unexpectedly comes out of the closet. In either example (and also with both set of parents in the episode), the parents' reaction wasn't specifically directed at the decisions the kids made, but more as anger at no longer having control over their kid. The sudden realization that their kid actually has a mind of their own and is making decisions in their own interest -- not the parents' self-interests -- has a way of upsetting some parents that have these "big dreams" for their kid.

[longislanditalian2]

The song " Look what you have done" reminds me of that song" Imagine" due to that it was played during the movie" Mr. Holland's Opus" that professer having a deaf son and he believed that his own father thought he was a freak but in the end really did accept him.

I know this is useless information but I just thought about this one late last night.

[vavavoomya]

I was hoping for more.

[samanda]

I haven't watched this episode, so I can't really judge anything, but I can lend some understanding of the Deaf culture and ASL.

~ Most Deaf people cannot lip-read. It has nothing to do with how smart they are. There are two different kinds of schools for the Deaf: oral and signing (forgive me, but I don't remember specific names for these kinds). In oral schools, no signing is allowed, and deaf children are taught to speak (which believe me is very complicated when you can't hear anything) and lip-read. Schools in which signing are allowed do not focus on things like lip-reading. Learning how to speak and lip-read takes a lot of time, and unfortunately, therefore hinders the progress of learning things that hearing children also learn (i.e. math, reading, etc.). There's a whole history behind the existence of oral schools, but nowadays, they aren't that popular (if I remember correctly). The fact that most Deaf people can lip-read is a misconception.

~ You can learn a lot of ASL in one afternoon. It just depends on what kind of learner you are. Obviously, your signing won't be beautiful and 100% correct, but you can learn the essentials of what you specifically need to know (i.e. for Vera: "DETECTIVE fs-VERA").

~ In ASL, facial expressions are very important; sometimes they can differentiate the meaning between same signs with different meanings, for example depending on the facial expression, a sign can either mean NOT-YET or LATE. However, expecting someone to learn the importance of facial expressions in one afternoon is asking too much.

~ ASL and Signed English are different. ASL doesn't use words such as "am," "is," or "are." Since I haven't watched the episode, I can't really say much, but if Vera signed "I am Detective Vera" that would technically be wrong in ASL. Like I said, I haven't watched this episode, so I'll reserve judgment on that.

~ Also, you're not supposed to mouth or speak while you're signing. It's seen as distracting and can take away the element of facial expressions. Just a tidbit.

~ Most Deaf people aren't deaf. The Deaf community has a whole culture behind it, and it is a proper adjective. However, most Deaf people are hard-of-hearing, meaning not completely deaf, and some of them do wear hearing aids. At the same time, I wouldn't advise raising my voice to someone who's hard-of-hearing. Certain courtesies matters a lot to the Deaf.


Sorry for the long essay, but I just thought some of you would like to know some of this stuff.

[longislanditalian2]

I agree with you on that one, but the episode was poorly written but well acted. I think if there was more research into writing this, maybe I would have enjoyed it better.

[cellogal]

Thanks for enlightening us all, samanda! I am woefully ignorant of Deaf culture, and your post was extremely informative!