Ep. 6.08 Triple Threat

[TVFan]

LILLY AND THE TEAM REOPEN THE 1989 MURDER CASE OF A RUSSIAN OPERA PRODIGY WHO DEFECTED WITH HER FAMILY TO THE UNITED STATES, ON "COLD CASE," SUNDAY, NOV. 16

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
Nick Vera '89: Daniel Gordh
Nadia Koslov '89: Elena Satine
Phoebe Curtis '08: Tina Lifford
Phoebe Curtis '89: Monica Calhoun
Leo Koslov '08: Endre Hules
Leo Koslov '89: Christian Svensson
Elliot Glick '08: Daniel Hugh Kelly
Elliot Glick '89: Gabriel Olds
Dmitri Koslov '08: Jared Bell
Dmitri Koslov '89: Jon Paul deFabry
Chelsea Cutler '08: Sally Brooks
Chelsea Cutler '89: Ashley Alfonso
Cyrus Brill '08: Brad Rowe
Cyrus Brill '89: Dustin McKamie
Nikki Sun '08: Nicole Bilderback
Nikki Sun '89: Jessika Van
Michael "Beamer" Hyacinth '08: Page Kennedy
Michael "Beamer" Hyacinth '89: Anwar Mitchell
N.D. Cop '89: Tom Derek
Scrapper: Casey Washington
Tap Dancer #1: Antonio Hudnell
Tap Dancer #2: Jameson Perry
'89 Dancer #1: Loriel Hennington
'89 Dancer #2: Jonathan Legacy Perez
'89 Dancer #3: Galen Kimberly Hooks
'89 Dancer #4: Jermaine McGhee
'89 Dancer #5: Anthony Carr

WRITTEN BY: Kathy Ebel

DIRECTED BY: Kevin Bray

[eurache]

I UNLOCKED THE POLL AND THREAD. PLEASE DO NOT POST UNTIL AFTER THE SHOWING OF THE EPISODE. IT LOOKS LIKE COLD CASE WILL BE SHOWN LATE AGAIN B/C OF FOOTBALL. NORMALLY SHOWN 9PM ET/ 8PM CEN/ 6PM PST, BUT PLEASE CHECK YOUR STATION FOR THE NEW TIME.

New time will be 9:31pm ET/ 8:31pm CEN / 6:31pm PST!!

[Electrophile]

I was impressed by Elena Satine's singing. That was something that continued to stick out at me throughout the episode. I would love the version of Free Fallin' that she did. I'd dare to say it was better than Tom Petty's!

I've been underwhelmed by Cold Case the last few episodes, and this one was no exception. I didn't get attached to any character, not even the victim and the manner of death was rather....boring, if that can be said. She was poisoned by tea, but how did she get to the bottom of the stairs? Was she pushed? Did she stumble and fall? I was hoping to get some clarification on that, instead it goes from her choking to her at the bottom of the staircase.

Overall, this gets an OK. Nothing special about it, nothing that would make me want to watch it again. The music wasn't even that good this time around, I thought there were much better songs from 1989 that could have been chosen.


BTW, I think I am about 99% sure on who Paul Cooper is that Lilly is fixated on. I think it's her father.

[socceroos]

GREAT episode from start to finish.

[socceroos]

Who played Nadia she had a really good voice, is she famous?

[Electrophile]

The cast list is in the first post. And I really don't see how this can be rated one of the season's best. Wednesday's Women....now that was a great episode. Probably the best in the show's history. I can't even imagine putting this on par with that one. Maybe you saw something I didn't, but I just don't get it.

[boxman]

Nov 16, 2008 22:41:56 GMT -5 socceroos said:

Who played Nadia she had a really good voice, is she famous?

It says Elina Satine, and here's her bio from imdb.com:

www.imdb.com/name/nm2180812/bio

Biography for
Elena Satine

Date of Birth
24 November 1987, Tbilisi, Georgia, USSR

Birth Name
Elena Marie Satine

Nickname
Elle

Height
5' 8" (1.73 m)

Trivia

Moved to the US at age 11 from the Russian Riviera.

Graduated with honors from New York's "Professional Performing Arts School" at age 16, after completing the 4 year Drama program. Alumni include Claire Danes, Jesse Eisenberg, Alicia Keys and Britney Spears.

Trained extensively in classical Shakespearean acting at the "Royal Academy of Dramatic Art" in London, and the Stanislavsky technique at the "Moscow Art Theater", as well as attending the summer program at the "American Academy of Dramatic Art" in NYC.

Is a singer/songwriter, and a classically trained pianist.

Is a descendant of Georgian Nobility "The House of Orbeliani".

Has 2 Pomeranians named Mischka and Capt. Jack Sparrow.

---

He he he.... I was thinking her accent in the opening scene sounded a bit clean to be "really Russian"... but it looks like her real-life bio is nearly a perfect fit for the character she played on the show! That's pretty cool!

[Electrophile]

Seriously, how are people calling this one of the season's best?

[cellogal]

Well, you're entitled not to like this episode, but I, personally, loved it. I thought the case and the characters were compelling, and, speaking as someone who's in the performing arts world, unfortunately rather true to life. The jealousy toward someone who's truly talented is prevalent. I also truly identified with Nadia's struggle to find her own voice; many people spend their lives trying to be who other people want them to be, and I loved that Nadia found herself, and her voice, before she died. Her voice teacher was right; it's more than just technique, it's putting your heart and soul into what you do, and when Nadia did that, it was magical.

I also loved the fact that this episode focused on Vera. A prevailing theme the last couple weeks has been solving those cases that eat at you, and this one obviously ate at Vera. Jeremy Ratchford did an amazing job showing the range of emotions Vera had about this case, and his interrogation-over-vodka with Leo was amazing. This new tradition of giving Vera an awesome interview is much appreciated!

The banter between the detectives was also excellent, from Kat and Jeffries snarking about the performing arts high school to Kat and Scotty snarking about poison to Vera and Lilly sharing a pepperoni pizza. I think this season they're really emphasizing the friendships these detectives have with one another, and this episode was just another shining example of that.

[Electrophile]

My questioning was just trying to figure out what other people are seeing.

[The Reverend Bizarre]

I found this to be an excellent episode even though in all honesty I can't stand opera. I was happy when Nadia shoved that off to follow her own dream, (or try to at least to.)

By the way, that Paul Cooper guy? This is just a guess, but does anybody else think he might be Lilly's father?

[toddsmitts]

Nov 16, 2008 22:49:25 GMT -5 boxman said:

He he he.... I was thinking her accent in the opening scene sounded a bit clean to be "really Russian"... but it looks like her real-life bio is nearly a perfect fit for the character she played on the show! That's pretty cool!

True, if she'd been born fifteen years earlier, she could have been Nadia! I bet it helps a performance when you can relate that much to a character.

I don't think I'd call "Wednesday's Women" the best of the season, let alone the best of the series. The doer was so obvious. I still think it would have been better if it was the guy's sister.

What I liked about this episode was it really surprised me who the doer was. I thought it would one of two people:

1) Her "boyfriend" because he said he could never go back to the place where she died, which is something two doers have already said this season alone or...

2) The male teacher, because the actor who played the present-day version previously appeared in "From the Earth to the Moon", as actors who appeared in that who turn up on the show almost always play a killer (or at least get arrested). It's true. "Gleen", "Bad Night", "One Night", "Forever Blue", "A Dollar, A Dream", "Wednesday's Women". "Roller Girl".

I was looking at one of them right up to the point Stillman and Jeffries discussed his martial records. Suddenly they brought up the other teacher, and that totally threw me. I know Scotty said poison was a woman's method of choice but he's been wrong before and we've had as just as many men use poison ("Resolutions", "Start Up"). I believe Pheobe has the dubious distinction of being the first African-American woman on the show turn out to be a killer.

BTW, did the "doer planning to drink a drink filled with a toxic overdose of a poisonous substance to kill herself, the victim drinking it instead, and the doer deciding to let them die" scenario remind anyone else of "Stand Up and Holler"?

[The Reverend Bizarre]

>>BTW, did the "doer planning to drink a drink filled with a toxic overdose of a poisonous substance to kill herself, the victim drinking it instead, and the doer deciding to let them die" scenario remind anyone else of "Stand Up and Holler"?

Not really, but then again I've kind of shoved "Stand Up and Holler" into my subconscious mind.

[Electrophile]

Nov 16, 2008 23:19:35 GMT -5 The Reverend Bizarre said:

I found this to be an excellent episode even though in all honesty I can't stand opera. I was happy when Nadia shoved that off to follow her own dream, (or try to at least to.)

By the way, that Paul Cooper guy? This is just a guess, but does anybody else think he might be Lilly's father?

I already beat you to that one.

[cellogal]

Nov 16, 2008 23:38:53 GMT -5 toddsmitts said:

1) Her "boyfriend" because he said he could never go back to the place where she died, which is something two doers have already said this season alone or...

2) The male teacher, because the actor who played the present-day version previously appeared in "From the Earth to the Moon", as actors who appeared in that who turn up on the show almost always play a killer. It's true. "Gleen", "Bad Night", "One Night", "Wednesday's Women".

I was looking at one of them right up to the point Stillman and Jeffries discussed his martial records. Suddenly they brought up the other teacher, and that totally threw me.

I agree, this twist surprised me. It would have been very easy to make it the boyfriend or to have Nadia have an inappropriate relationship with the teacher, and I was pleased that they didn't go that route.

[boxman]

He he he.... Sorry, Electrophile... I'm going to start off by saying that this episode gets an easy "Excellent" vote from me.

Nadia's school seemed to hint at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts or the highly acclaimed The University of the Arts. Both schools are located on South Broad, right over the Broad Street subway line. Like Phoebe, I also once lived a few blocks from both schools, so that helped even more to make details in this episode seem realistic to me.

I found the episode's biggest strength in the story's universality: An immigrant family comes to the U.S. to pursue the "American Dream". The parent(s) lay the foundation for their talented kids, and together the family is determined to succeed. But examine the family closer, and one begins to see both the growing generational differences and also the increasing cultural difference between the parents and kids. Doesn't this story sound strikingly familiar around here? Look into the history of families that have chosen to move to the US, and I think many share similar stories.

I also definitely like the tragic circumstances of this case. I hate to say this, but the kind of tragedy Nadia's family found here was quite realistic to me too. I'm a little short on time now, so I won't go into details of similar cases here, but that's how damned this city can be sometimes.

Nov 16, 2008 22:36:12 GMT -5 Electrophile said:

BTW, I think I am about 99% sure on who Paul Cooper is that Lilly is fixated on. I think it's her father.

Nov 16, 2008 23:19:35 GMT -5 The Reverend Bizarre said:

By the way, that Paul Cooper guy? This is just a guess, but does anybody else think he might be Lilly's father?

Okay, let's ponder for a moment that Paul Cooper is Lilly's father. Here's some interesting things to think about:



--Paul Cooper's DOB is August 10, 1944. He would've been somewhere in his early 20s when Lilly was born?

-- As shown in both last week and tonight's episode, Paul Cooper lives in Haddonfield. This is suburb of the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, and it's located to the southeast of the city in New Jersey, across the Delaware river.

-- Haddonfield is one of the nicest suburbs in the area, and the town states on their website:
"There are several reasons why Haddonfield has been chosen by Philadelphia Magazine as one of the best places to live, shop or dine in the Delaware Valley. Just a ten minute ride from both the Ben Franklin and Walt Whitman bridges and easy to find whether you're coming from Pennsylvania or New York Enjoy a latte at one of our coffeehouses, dine alfresco at a sidewalk cafe or by candlelit dinner at one of Haddonfield's many restaurants. Shop at our over 200 shops and galleries catering to visitors and residents of all ages. It's no wonder why Courier Post readers have voted it the "Best Downtown Shopping Area" year after year."

--Haddonfield is one of those towns that constantly gets considered for those national "Best Places to Live" surveys. Here's the town's profile on CNN/Money Magazine:
money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2007/snapshots/PL3428770.html

--As you can see from the CNN/Money Magazine profile, "Haddonfielders" are pretty well-to-do, with a median family income of $120,999. (For comparison, the 2007 US median is around $50,000.)

--Some interesting geological features surround Haddonfield..... such as the "Cooper River"....



....and as explained on Wikipedia, the Cooper River is named after the Cooper Family, "who were some of the first settlers in the area of Camden County, New Jersey".


--Paul Cooper lives on Moorflower Way.

Thoughts, anyone?

For one thing, it's pretty striking to me that Paul Cooper shares the name of a river in the area, given the symbolic importance of water throughout the series.

I also have no idea what a moorflower is. I've never heard of the word before. But considering that it is a compound word made from the words moor and flower, is there some symbolic significance to that? Flowers also have played a symbolic importance throughout the series--take the name Lilly, for example. And a moor is a wasteland where nothing really grows, so a moorflower could be considered rather unique....

[beldasnoop]

I liked it for several reasons. First, it felt right for the time period. Second, I really liked how a lot of the detectives were involved in this one, and it was a great episode for Vera in particular. Also, a lot of episodes (even great ones) make it obvious who the killer is, and this one did not. I also really liked the characters, and Nadia was a good character but not "too perfect" like some of the victims seem to be. I loved "Wednesday's Women", too, but I think this one is my new fave this season.

[eduardodelroice]

Nov 16, 2008 23:38:53 GMT -5 toddsmitts said:

Nov 16, 2008 22:49:25 GMT -5 boxman said:

He he he.... I was thinking her accent in the opening scene sounded a bit clean to be "really Russian"... but it looks like her real-life bio is nearly a perfect fit for the character she played on the show! That's pretty cool!

True, if she'd been born fifteen years earlier, she could have been Nadia! I bet it helps a performance when you can relate that much to a character.

I don't think I'd call "Wednesday's Women" the best of the season, let alone the best of the series. The doer was so obvious. I still think it would have been better if it was the guy's sister.

What I liked about this episode was it really surprised me who the doer was. I thought it would one of two people:

1) Her "boyfriend" because he said he could never go back to the place where she died, which is something two doers have already said this season alone or...

2) The male teacher, because the actor who played the present-day version previously appeared in "From the Earth to the Moon", as actors who appeared in that who turn up on the show almost always play a killer. It's true. "Gleen", "Bad Night", "One Night", "A Dollar, A Dream", "Wednesday's Women".

I was looking at one of them right up to the point Stillman and Jeffries discussed his martial records. Suddenly they brought up the other teacher, and that totally threw me. I know Scotty said poison was a woman's method of choice but he's been wrong before and we've had as just as many men use poison ("Resolutions", "Start Up"). I believe Pheobe has the dubious distinction of being the first African-American woman on the show turn out to be a killer.

BTW, did the "doer planning to drink a drink filled with a toxic overdose of a poisonous substance to kill herself, the victim drinking it instead, and the doer deciding to let them die" scenario remind anyone else of "Stand Up and Holler"?

1. Todd, I respect your opinion but I mean, I have watched all Cold Case episodes(except for this one that I will watch today) and Wednesday's women is one of the best

2. never go back to the place she died? when?

[zoé]

When I first saw the body down the stairs, I feared the fatal fall. So “glad”, it was poison in the end.

How cool was it to see young Vera? He was all cute and sweet at 22. Kat is now the only detective who hasn’t been double cast. They cast a really good match so why didn’t they do the flash thingy with the sound over?

I think it’s my favorite victim so far this season. The actress did a great job with her evolution between the opening where she sounds all sad and depressed on the stage and the street singing where she was so alive and glowing. This scene was great and so was the “Pump up the jam” subway one.

I have to rewatch it to decide between good and excellent.

Nov 16, 2008 23:38:53 GMT -5 toddsmitts said:

I believe Pheobe has the dubious distinction of being the first African-American woman on the show turn out to be a killer.

Yeah, that's a first! They had an asian and a hispanic female killer in That Woman and Sanctuary. Most surprising part for me was that she apologized and showed remorse. That's pretty rare in the cold case universe.

BTW, did the "doer planning to drink a drink filled with a toxic overdose of a poisonous substance to kill herself, the victim drinking it instead, and the doer deciding to let them die" scenario remind anyone else of "Stand Up and Holler"?

Kind of. It reminded me more of shuffle ball change with the pushing father discovering his child dancing/singing and their true vocation.

Nov 16, 2008 23:15:35 GMT -5 cellogal said:

I also loved the fact that this episode focused on Vera. A prevailing theme the last couple weeks has been solving those cases that eat at you, and this one obviously ate at Vera. Jeremy Ratchford did an amazing job showing the range of emotions Vera had about this case, and his interrogation-over-vodka with Leo was amazing. This new tradition of giving Vera an awesome interview is much appreciated!

Totally second that! This is the 3rd episode in a row where Vera gets the best interrogation IMHO. In the dealer, he had the funny one with Mickey, in One small step, he was scary with Bobby and here he was sensitive with the dad.

Nov 17, 2008 0:01:53 GMT -5 Electrophile said:

By the way, that Paul Cooper guy? This is just a guess, but does anybody else think he might be Lilly's father?

I already beat you to that one.

I don’t get it. When Lilly talked to the retired detective about a case that “sticks with you and doesn’t let you rest”, I thought “Cooper” was the name of a cold case victim. Well, maybe it is still a possibility. Anyway, I am pretty excited to see where this storyline goes, though.

[toddsmitts]

Nov 17, 2008 6:47:05 GMT -5 @eduardodelroice said:

2. never go back to the place she died? when?

True Calling and Roller Girl.