Ep. 4.13 Blackout

[TVFan]

LILLY AND SCOTTY RE-OPEN THE 1998 CASE INVOLVING THE SUPPOSED ACCIDENTAL DEATH OF A MATRIARCH OF A WEALTHY FAMILY WHEN NEW EVIDENCE SURFACES THAT SUGGESTS MURDER, ON "COLD CASE," SUNDAY, JAN. 14, 9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT

Donna Mills ("Knots Landing") Guest Stars

Seith Mann directed the episode that was written by Tyler Bensinger.

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
Toni Halstead: Sonja Sohn
Andre Halstead: Oren Williams
Lauren Williams: Donna Mills
Stan Williams: Perry King
Ginny Williams: Kate Norby
Tad Williams: Scott Holroyd
Matt (1996): Dylan Michael Patton
Matt (2007): Julian Bailey
Diane Gilbert: Lindsey McKeon
Paul Heller: Ron Morehouse

[longislanditalian2]

This episode was much better the last weeks by far. Yea lots of Lilly in this episode, she looks a lot better still very pale but a little more color in her cheeks. The first scene wit her and Scotty was funny.

The water Reference shown a lot; water does mean death so does fire Very two Foreshadowing examples

Did anyone see a lot of simliarites between Lauren and Ellen Rush, I did. They both had paid more attention to get men then their own children. They belitted and tried to pretend that they were better then them ( Like Ellen did to Lilly in BLF). Both Lauren and Ellen made their children's lives a living hell.



I think Lilly was glad in a way that Virginia went to defended her own son against her mother, knowing that her own wouldn't do the same. Maybe an indirect reference to her own attack??

Scotty holds his knuckles when he hears the word pedofile, but in the end slams the box like Vera did in Revenge.

Kat is back wearing the black Jacket. maybe a reference to something foreshadowing.

I love the fact that after Lilly sees Lauren's ghost she turns out the light, symbolizing the case has been closed.

Just a question to ponder
Something at the end struck me, why was Lilly looking at herself in the mirror, is it foreshadowing something or just examining her past life?

[The Reverend Bizarre]

This is the first episode where I actually cried for the killer, and was disgusted at the victim.

I think even Scotty was "Good riddance" towards the case. Clearly he can't stand pedophiles and this one was no different.

One big theme I noticed in this episode was that to do with Mothers. There's a saying that goes "Mother is God in the eyes of a child" a message clearly rung out when Ginny killed her own mother in order to protect her son.

The mirror deal? I wondered about that too. Again we have a situation where a mother is acting like selfish, selve serving malevolent God, and another mother who is acting as the protector God to her child. Perhaps the two Lillies represents that, or perhaps the mirror scene with Lilly also represents a possible dual nature with her.


It was also interesting to see the very end when Lauren was looking at herself in the water's reflection, and that it was Lilly that saw her. Again, a possible link to dual nature? There is also this quote from my favorate piece of art.

"I don't like looking in the mirror. I always feel that person staring back at me really isn't me. I know it sounds crazy."

We've all heard stories about the mirror/mirror world. Usually they symbolize a certain part of us that we don't want the world to see.

[longislanditalian2]

About the mirror: Maybe there's a part of her past that Lilly isn't ready to confront yet. I have a feeling that is.

Lauren was just as spitful and nasty as Ellen Rush, I thought that they could have been sisters due to their mannerisms; In that way that they treated others.

[boxman]

Eh. It's a little hard for me to get into a story like this where the suspect list is so short to begin with, the crime scene limited to a single property, and the victim so unsympathetic. There wasn't anything really flawed with the story; I just felt very claustrophobic watching this dysfunctional family stuck all together in that house, while also thinking how revolting the mom was in her self-absorbed world.

longislanditalian2 said:

...The first scene with [Lilly] and Scotty was funny.

Yeah. Nice to see the banter between the two. I couldn't stand watching her continually picking on him last season, acting like what she was doing was clever when he was clearly irritated with her barbs. Good to see she finally got over it. I've been thinking that her own experiences with Joe & Ray must've made her confront her fears about being alone and lonely, and at some point she must've realized that Scotty was in the same frame of mind when he spent that time with Christina. That little talk in the hotel in "The Red and The Blue" must've indicated she came to some resolution about his actions after realising her own feelings and fears.

The water Reference shown a lot; water does mean death so does fire Very two Foreshadowing examples..

Well, not really. Water seems more a symbol of personal change, and death is included as a possible form of this change. Consider how in the show's premiere, the episode ends with Lilly dripping wet in the rain. That imagery doesn't mean she was going to die, of course. But it meant that her career was about to change drastically, and that formed the basis of what this show is all about.

Something at the end struck me, why was Lilly looking at herself in the mirror, is it foreshadowing something or just examining her past life?

Maybe not exactly Catharsis, but I think from after hearing Ginny's story, Lilly probably was standing there thinking her own mother/daughter experience wasn't as bad as that. BTW, I thought it was odd that Lauren didn't think her daughter Ginny was pretty--I thought she was stunning, even in the many scenes she wasn't wearing much makeup.

ETA:

xuchilbara said:

It was also interesting to see the very end when Lauren was looking at herself in the water's reflection, and that it was Lilly that saw her.

Reverend, did you notice that neat little editting trick? Lauren's "ghost" disappears when Lilly switches the lights off, but her reflection in the water remained. Also, she never looked up to make eye contact with Lilly. Kinda interesting, when one considers what Vera tells Andre about the importance of eye contact.

[longislanditalian2]

I think Lilly's much happier now after the whole love triangle, and little more confident in herself. Maybe the mirror symbolizes a personal change within herself. That now by looking into the mirror Lilly " sees" her old self knowing that so much of her has changed.

Then we now see the Newer Lilly, with more years of experience and one the right path so to speak.


BTW- THe ending scene with Vera, Toni and Andree were cute they would make a great family.

[boxman]

longislanditalian2 said:

Lauren was just as spitful and nasty as Ellen Rush, I thought that they could have been sisters due to their mannerisms; In that way that they treated others.

Dunno if I can agree with you here, LII2. Ellen was neglectful, but to my knowledge she never belittled Lilly like Lauren did to Ginny.

[longislanditalian2]

Ellen Belitted Lilly in BLF about being alone. " As least I'm not alone". She was almost mocking the fact that her own daughter hadn't found someone.

She and Lauren were alike in a way that they thought their lives were so perfect and their children wasn't. Almost from the time Lauren arrived she fought with each other her childre, Like Lilly did with Ellen at both the coffee cafe and the resturant later on.


I read too much into stuff but It just caught me that's all.




What exactly did Lilly say to Scotty at the beginning it was something but couldn't recall??

[boxman]

longislanditalian2 said:

Ellen Belitted Lilly in BLF about being alone. " As least I'm not alone". She was almost mocking the fact that her own daughter hadn't found someone.

She and Lauren were alike in a way that they thought their lives were so perfect and their children wasn't. Almost from the time Lauren arrived she fought with each other her childre, Like Lilly did with Ellen at both the coffee cafe and the resturant later on.

But Ellen never told Lilly things such as she would never know what real love was like because Lilly was just a plain, ordinary girl. That's belittling. Even the way Lauren knocked her son's career and never said anything about how proud she was of the things he did. At least Ellen had some pride in Lilly's achievements and put some effort in getting the three of them all together as a family. Now I'm not trying to make Ellen out to be a saint, but Lauren by far wins the B**** of the Year award. There never was a moment tonight when Lauren ever thought of anyone but herself.

What exactly did Lilly say to Scotty at the beginning it was something but couldn't recall??

As Scotty was in that weird position under the diving board, Lilly just mused "You okay there, Scotty?" with a flash of that wonderful smile.

[The Reverend Bizarre]

Reverend, did you notice that neat little editting trick? Lauren's "ghost" disappears when Lilly switches the lights off, but her reflection in the water remained.

I actually didn't notice this. This could be another sign of the dual nature prospect. I'm starting to feel that these victims are in fact either thanking the detectives, or saying goodbye to their families. I think in this case Lauren is wanting to thank Lilly for solving the case, but at the same time has finally realized what a self centered b*tch she truly is, and that she may have really deserved to die.

The part of her, the selfish part perhaps was able to leave after being "avenged" but a greater part of her is unable to leave, because she could now realize all the wrong she did, and there's nothing she can do about it.

[longislanditalian2]

I've managed to upload the mirror scene, maybe there is some symbolism there about Lilly??

[The Reverend Bizarre]

Normally I wouldn't think much of it, but something about it reminds me of "The Woods"

During the end or confrontation while George's face was mostly in the light, Lilly's face was half cast in shadow.

This time we see half of the real Lilly, and then we see her reflection, half of it covered by shadow. If this does mean anything, I'd guess that it's a foreshadowing of two of Lilly's inner halves finally connecting.

Perhaps this means she'll find someone (or someone will find her.) but she goes for the relationship because she wants to, and not to fulfill some void.

[TVFan]

This one was just OK for me. Perhaps, if it had aired during last season I would be talking about how good it was, but not in this strong season. There were some very good things about it, though. First, what I didn't like. Basically, it all boils down to the case. For the most part, I find the pacing of the one-night cases (where all of the flashbacks take place during the exact same day or night) to be slow, which causes the episode to drag a little. Also, I thought that Donna Mills borrowed too much of her soapy style from her Knots Landing days. Although if she was going to bring it, this episode was the right one. I was so wigged out when she hit on her grandson in the hot tub!! The twist of having the mother/grandmother as the pedophile instead of her ex-husband was interesting (if not completely sick, but then again, when is pedophilia not sick??).

I really like this Vera side story, and it's allowing us to see a completely different side to the hard-nosed, womanizing guy we're used to seeing. He's softer, happier and seems to be committed to making things work with Toni. Plus, I like the fact that he's getting the chance to play the father role. We all know that one of the biggest reasons why his marriage broke up was because of their inability to have a child. Vera wanted to adopt the tyke that showed up on PPD's doorstep, and now he has the opportunity to play dad to Toni's teenage son. It's an opportunity that hasn't been lost on him, either, as he took time to talk to Andre and play a little ball with him (the same ball that he used to loathe when it woke him up at the crack of dawn). I also liked Lilly's interrogation with Ginny and the sort of compassion that she brought to it. Again, there were parallels between Lil's life and the case (she and Ginny both had messed up mothers -- in different ways). Finally, I liked the way that this case left me wishing that the murderer didn't have to pay for her crime. She was more of a victim than the actual victim.

Like I said, not a bad episode, but not as strong as the rest of the season thus far. As always, more thoughts and caps at Pass the Remote.

[ruda]

I don't like this ep... I can't tell I hate it, but I don't like it...

it was really slow episode
*uaaaah.... give me the pilow cause I'm falling asleep!*

first time in my life I felt so wired watching CC

[longislanditalian2]

After rewatching this episode again,

I really thought that Scotty was going to fall into the pool , I can just imagine the look on Lilly's face. He was pretty close to falling in anyway.

This episode reminded me of an old murder mystery show,the old ones that they used to air on the radio during the 40's and 50's . This episode had so many twists and turns that it was hard to know until the end

[ewka]

Am I really thaaat different? I loved this episode! Loved the claustrophobic atmosphere and the fact that the doer must have been one of the family members. I do not find the action slow, honestly, this is one of my faves ever, not only S4.

Vera's got a girlfriend! Vera's got a girlfriend! 4 eps back I wouldn't think he could make a relationship with anyone and now? Woo-hoo, keep my fingers crossed for them, they look cute together. But still, Vera reminds me of my PO teacher who is slimy... I would never touch any of them, haha.

[boxman]

Hey!! I just read this news article, and I just couldn't help but think about this week's episode:

abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=2798536&page=1
New Trend: The Demise of the Trophy Wife
More Men Seek Partners, Not Dependents, for Marriage, According to a New Study
By MIKE LEE

LONDON, Jan. 16, 2007— - This is the latest dispatch from a battlefield where casualties are counted in the millions each year.

Most wars, including -- it's hoped -- the one in Iraq, end eventually. But this conflict thunders on and on and on throughout the centuries. The only things that change are the weapons, the tactics and the cost of losing a battle. It's the war of the sexes. And it has just taken another fascinating twist.

According to a newly published British-based economics study, the trophy wife -- that controversial symbol of success and prowess for men with money, also known as the domestic goddess -- could soon become a thing of the past.

David Blackaby, a professor of economics at Swansea University in South Wales, United Kingdom, told ABC News: "What we are seeing now is assorted mating, which is 'like' marrying 'like.' For example, get-up-and-go men are more inclined these days to marry get-up-and-go women. People are also marrying people from the same skill groups."

That means more and more men are marrying women with whom they have something basic, something postmodern, in common. They both earn salaries. So, according to the study, the gender pay gap is closing.

In the 1970s, according to the study, for every 1,000 hours worked, men were paid 45 percent more than women were. By the year 2002 women had narrowed the gap and men were, on average, making 25 percent more then their female counterparts. Also, by the 1980s, 50 percent of married women held salaried jobs, and by the mid '90s, 70 percent of married women had careers outside the home.

A Shift in the Balance
The study suggests there are fewer and fewer stay-at-home wives, and the ranks of those so-called trophy wives are getting thinner and thinner. The possible reasons for this may tell us something about the current state of the war of the sexes.

Blackaby told ABC News: "The reason for the change from the '80s is that women are taking advantage of less discrimination in the workplace. Family size has reduced, so women don't need as much time off for childbearing. And those who work continuously know that they can achieve pay equality if they don't take time off. Nannies are being employed, and the children are being sent to private schools."

ABC News spoke to Dan Church, 32, from Surrey, England. He co-founded the headhunter firm Hydrogen Group, and is married to Olivia Stockdale, who runs Iberian International, a property consultancy.

"When we both decided we were going to marry," said Church, "we were both headstrong in our careers, both independent. We both had our own lives. I think the key to our marriage is that we still have that independence. My wife and I can encourage each other and still have our own stuff to do outside the marriage. Because we both work, we also have a better lifestyle."

Both spouses working is also better for the economy, according to the study's lead researcher, Paul Carlin, a professor at Purdue University in Indiana. "The introduction of more women into the labor force has accounted for the productivity surge in the economy," he told ABC News. "Power couples have also resulted in more productivity in overall economic terms."

Better and more equitable job opportunities for women, and a higher family income, are some of the major reasons trophy wives are becoming scarce. There are other views on the decline of the trophy wife too, even if they are rooted more in emotion than statistics.

Watching Soaps, Eating Bonbons
Enter the toxic wife. It's a term used by Tara Winter Wilson, a freelance writer for the Daily Telegraph in London, who sides with men on an issue tailor-made to stir up emotions, righteousness and indignation on both sides.

Winter Wilson summed up her hypothesis: "Rich men … have finally cottoned on to the sinister side of the stay-at-home wife. Unless you marry an equal who's going to pay her own way, you will end up with a lazy, indulgent, overpampered slug, for the transition from trophy wife to toxic wife is as fast as the end result is furious."
[ ;D ;D ;D ]

Winter Wilson said she knew "many men of my age and acquaintance [who] have become deeply bitter and disappointed about how their wives have changed since they hung up their work clothes."

She spoke with one man who complained, "My wife … gives over the whole of the weekend to pursuing what she calls 'me time.' She goes to retreats, yoga mini-breaks, a spa, a health farm, even art classes … all of which I pay for, of course. What do I get back in return? Nothing."

So, going on testimony from Winter Wilson's male friends, fear of ending up with a toxic wife may also motivate some men to seek out self-supporting spouses these days. No statistics prove or disprove that thesis.

So how does it feel to be married to your equal, or perhaps your more than equal?

"Fantastic! It brings in a lot of money. It's wonderful," David Rosenblatt, a 44-year-old businessman from Liverpool, England, told ABC News. His wife, Carole, runs a spa. What's the secret to their marriage success? "It's a give and take," he said. "We are both busy, and it's important to find time for each other and for the family."

In any event, if, as the new study suggests, husbands and wives are getting closer and closer to equality at work and equality in their financial responsibilities, could the long running war of the sexes be nearing a ceasefire? Maybe. But don't hold your breath.

Additional reporting by Laura Westmacott, Laura, Roger Kaplinsky-Dwarika, Fabiola Antezana and Benjamin Barnier. Copyright © 2007 ABC News Internet Ventures

---

So maybe Vera and his neighbor (a cop and a nurse) might be a good match.
Or maybe Lilly and Scotty.... Ahh..... Need I say more??

[LillyKat]

Am quite late in posting, but have to agree with TVFan and ruda in that this episode did nothing for me. Aside from the Vera storyline, the whole thing played like one big soap opera - as in, I felt as if this was something straight out of Knott's Landing. Yes, Donna Mills can still play a b**ch like no other, but if I wanted to watch a soap, I'd watch a soap. I even felt like the pauses between some of the actors was that whole dramatic-soap-stare-at-each-other-for-an-inordinately-long-beat kind of acting while we fade to commercial. LOL!

I believe this is only the second time I've ever considered an episode so boring ... but I will give it points for its creepiness factor - the whole mom/grandmom incest/pedophile thing. I did not see that coming.

I agree it did feel like more of a less-than-stellar Season 3 episode, and thus, fell well short for me - case, characters and all.

[longislanditalian2]

More about Lilly and the Mirror

S2


S4

FireFlies


Blackout





Any symbolic thoughts on this, I've noticed that Lilly looks into the mirror a lot during the interrogations.

[The Reverend Bizarre]

hmm let me see here.

Again, BlackOut has a lot to do with Dual Nature of the soul and the personality.

Fireflies had a lot to do with Black and White, but also with deception (in a term, I mean that one girl after all was not dead. A deception on the show's part.)

Not sure about the first image though. It is interesting that in these shots Lilly begins to gradually face away from herself. In the first image she's staring completely at her reflection. In the Fireflies episode she is turned away at the side, but we can still see her face. In Blackout she is profile, and half her face is covered in shadow.

According to the site houseofnames.com the mirror is a symbol for the truth and the imagination.