Ep. 6.09 Pin Up Girl

[TVFan]

LILLY AND THE TEAM RE-OPEN THE 1953 MURDER OF A PIN UP GIRL WHEN A FAN BRINGS IN A CRIME SCENE PHOTO THAT PROVIDES VITAL EVIDENCE IN THE CASE, ON "COLD CASE," SUNDAY, NOV. 23

Tania Raymonde ("Lost") Joins the Cast as Recurring Character "Frankie Rafferty," a Smart and Feisty Lab Technician

illy Rush: Kathryn Morris
Scotty Valens: Danny Pino
Lt. John Stillman: John Finn
Nick Vera: Jeremy Ratchford
Will Jeffries: Thom Barry
Kat Miller: Tracie Thoms
Frankie Rafferty: Tania Raymonde
Rita Flynn '53: Erin Cummings
Zip Fellig '53: Todd Grinnell
Zip Fellig '08: John Kerry
Betty Sue Baker '53: Chelsea Hobbs
Betty Sue Baker '08: Debra Mooney
Monty Moran '53: Patrick Fischler
Monty Moran '08: Harold Gould
Ben "Beanie" Emerson '53: Andrew Ducote
Ben "Beanie" Emerson '08: James Carraway
Reg Donaldson '53: Aaron Gaffey
Reg Donaldson '08: Wiliam Dennis Hunt
Gus Medica: Ron Masak
Nervous Guy: Brian McGuire

WRITTEN BY: Gavin Harris

DIRECTED BY: Chris Fisher

[longislanditalian2]

I really liked this episode, As an Photographer nut myself, I found this one to be intreging.

Did anyone think that the actress playing Rita, looked a tad bit like Marcia Cross from Desperate Housewives? Also the picture of Lilly at the end, was it of Kathryn herself as a little girl and how old is " Lilly" supposed to be judging by the kind of picture it was. It looked pretty old to be circa, 1960's B&W, but doesn't reveal too much like we had seen in Season 2's " Whose your Daddy"? ( this is without any speculation of spoiler by the way).

Anyways I really couldn't take this Frankie girl, it didn't fit right with the episode. Scotty at the end what can I say he's extemely handsome guy; but had worn the same sweatshirt in " Blank Generation".

[cellogal]

Nov 23, 2008 22:05:23 GMT -5 longislanditalian2 said:

Scotty at the end what can I say he's extemely handsome guy; but had worn the same sweatshirt in " Blank Generation".

Yeah, I'm beginning to think the guy only has one non-work outfit. That's about the only thing we've ever seen him in other than suits.

[Electrophile]

For starters, I really liked this episode. The music, the acting, the costumes.....everything came together for me. I felt like I could relate more to both Rita and Betty Sue more than I could the characters in the last few episodes, and it helped me to really "get attached" to them and to the episode itself.

I know what it's like to have a friend who is seemingly always walking on four-leaf clovers and meanwhile, you're stuck walking on crabgrass. So I could completely empathize with Betty when she talked about how the guy only wanted to see her so he could get Rita's autograph. I felt bad for her, because she came from a rotten existence and her friend was everything so she hitched herself to Rita's star......only she found that life isn't all it's cracked up to be when you do that. I think killing her wasn't the way to deal with that inequity, but a small part of me could understand how she'd react with anger at that kind of insult. And it was insulting.....she thought the guy liked her, but it turned out he was only interested in Rita. To add insult to injury she was forced to be an exotic dancer to make ends meet because her father drank the money away. I thought Lilly empathized with her a little on that, having to grow up with a substance-abusing parent and one long gone.

I liked the fact that they made Rita into more than just a pretty face; the actress who played her added something to the character to make her more likeable. I was worried going into the episode that she'd just be some vapid model with more air in her head than anything else, which happens far too often when women of that profession are featured in TV shows. So kudoes to Cold Case for breaking that norm, at least.

Overall, I rated it an "excellent" and a step up from the last couple weeks.

[stonecold44]

I liked Frankie, but I'm a sucker for cute women.

As for the episode, I thought figuring out the doer should have been more challenging but it had a "best friend killer" label written all over it. Rita showed great ambition and talent and her penchant for photography was apparent when she took all of those pictures of people at her studio. That reminded me of the Brady Bunch episode where Peter took pictures of his family without posing them.
I liked how Nick kept using the term "research" just as he did in Lonely Hearts.

I gave this one an excellent rating for the casting, plot and music.

[TVFan]

I gave this one an "excellent."

I was completely enthralled with the characters and the story and I really liked Rita. She was fascinating and I loved the way the writers decided to flesh her out by making her so much more than a pretty face. She was full of life. In fact, Betty Sue's line to her at the end about the fact that she makes everyone smile seemed to really hit the nail on the head. However, Betty Sue thought it was because of Rita's looks, but in reality, it was who she was on the inside. I also loved the way the setting felt like an old movie. It was glamorous (photo shoots, that Casablanca-style bar where Rita sang her signature song, Rita's amazing apartment, etc.) and still managed to have its seedy parts (the "Red Curtain," the stalker fan, jealousy, and of course, Rita's lifeless body after being shot to death by her best friend). Plus, I liked the way the pin up angle allowed for a lot of Vera humor. I think my favorite funny part was when Kat said that they had found Beanie and she opens the door to reveal Vera sitting in the interrogation room still thumbing through those old pin up magazines. I love Vera!

I like Frankie. Of course, I loved her as Alex on Lost. Despite the age difference, they're really cute together and I'm totally invested in this "will they, won't they" tit-for-tat they're now engaged in. And how great was it that Scotty's "reservations" were at the batting cages?! It was a nice tie-in to the fact that he met Elissa playing stick ball in the neighborhood as a kid.

Other things that I really liked this week: the way the shot went from Rita's murdered body at the end to the camera taking her murderer's mug shots, getting to see Edna from Everwood again, hearing that beautiful underscore from season 2's "Best Friends" as Rita was taking pictures on the street in Philly, Monty finally developing Rita's work as a photographer, and the simple fact that I didn't need to look at the press release even once to remember a character's name because it proves how big of an impact they all had on me this week. Kudos to the CC staff for crafting a great story filled with intriguing, gripping, and memorable characters.

[Electrophile]

I guess I'm in the same boat as longislanditalian, because I'm not too big a fan of the Frankie/Scotty arc. I think if it had been introduced at the beginning of the season it might be different, but it's just suddenly they have this department and suddenly she's there and oh by the way, they were in a softball game the previous weekend....it seemed a tad too hokey for me. Maybe it'll be fleshed out into something substantial, and if that's the case, it would be nice to see.....Scotty has been alone since Elisa died. I hope it's not a one-and-done type deal, because really.....that would be lame.

[cellogal]

Didn't love it, didn't hate it. For some reason, I called Betty as the doer during the opening sequence, and figured out who Stanley Nopell was the minute Rita picked up the camera. This never, ever happens to me. I'm always the one person who's surprised by the end. So I'm not sure what this says that I was able to guess so quickly.

Anyway, I liked Rita, and I totally bought both Zip's and Betty's jealousy. Zip reminds me of an old boyfriend of mine, the insecure type who's threatened by talent. Anyway, I thought the murder was a bit contrived, but Betty was drunk, so I'll let it go. Also, that flashback with her snapshots was, for me, the best part of the episode (that and Vera's "research.").

Scotty/Frankie (Scankie?). It seems a bit forced, and more than a bit contrived. Like Electrophile said, are we to believe that we've had this department the whole time and we're just now seeing it? Meh. As far as Frankie herself is concerned, she's better than most of his previous love interests (note: this is really, really not saying much). I like how she called him on his crap, and it's nice to see him smile, but she seems a little...strange. Maybe it's leftovers from her character on Malcolm in the Middle. We'll see.

[irishkale]

Excellent Recap TVFan!!! A magnificent summary of why this was an awesome episode!

The set design & lighting in this one was particularly good. Everything looked "Fresh" in the "I haven't seen that one used in any other episode" sense. It created an "aura" that made it easy to be drawn into the story. And the costumes... lots of eye candy...

The Vera stuff was cute (watch how Lilly's hand remains frozen in the air when Vera pulls the magazine from her in the opening "Box Room" sequence.)

The soundtrack was great too.. Nat King Cole's smooth-as-silk voice added something sultry to the story. Hearing Levine's "Best Friends" was like a visit from an old friend. Beautifully used, as well.

Sophia Loren

Debra Mooney!!!! That voice...that face... Her performance in a better-than-usual interrogation scene was fantastic.

And lastly I loved watching the transition of Rita from ditzy pin-up girl to serious photographer. When the episode opened, I had a fear that the writer/director would take a "campy" look at the 50's. You know, using all the stereotypical lingo, making little homages to the tv shows of the era, etc. But this one tricked me by showing the character move from a someone shallow to more serious. And it makes the episode so much more emotional to see the character killed as they are making better of themselves. It's more dramatic, tragic, etc.


Great ep!!!!

[anneinchicago]

I also loved this episode, but for another, additional reason- Betty Sue. Aka the famous Betty Page. Whoever the acrtess was that played her, got her dead-perfect. Minus the murder, the Betty Sue back story was also dead on, including the turned to religion in later life part. Betty was actually the reason I wanted to watch this episode.

Also on the bored by Scotty and Frankie story bandwagon, btw.

[mitchy]

I gave this episode an excellent, I thought it was exceedingly well acted in all departments. Major kudos to the lighting and props department because the period feel was spot on.

All the characters were nicely fleshed out, particularly Rita and Betty Sue, which made you care what happened all the more. I pegged the doer this time but only cos I'm cynical and when I saw the charitable works I went "Yeh, guilty conscience." However, guessing the doer early doesn't bother me, it's usually pure luck when I get it right anyway :)

The running gag with Vera and his "research" cracked me up, I loved that, particularly when Kat and Scotty found him in the interview room. Kat's line "Those pages dog eared when you got 'em?" was my fave of the episode. The Scotty/Frankie relationship intrigued me, I didn't find it "forced" - they show what they need to show to tell the story. For example, last ep they COULD have shown Kat talking to the ME about the test results but instead they had her reporting it straight to Stillman. This way, we're just seeing the tech side of it first. And Scotty's always cute when he's dating :)

Overall, I really liked this one and will enjoy watching it again.

[eurache]

I gave this one excellent

I loved it going back and forth.. I was thinking oh she did it, the b/f...then I said no he did it, the jealous boyfriend, then I thought the agent who had the contract on Rita. Then it was Betty!

When I saw Rita with the camera, I figured she must be the photographer Using her song as the man's name. Back in those days, they looked down on women doing a man's job So, women who were writers etc.. would use a man's name.

The time period with the scene, costumes, etc.. just perfect!

I loved Vera!! His research took forever.. Even to the end.. love it!

I wasn't into Frankie/Scotty thingie..

Yes, I believe that was Lilly in that picture (going up to steps to a church?) with possibly her dad?

All in all, I thought it was awesome!

[riche]

It got an excellent from me too, for all the reasons already stated by you all.

Nov 24, 2008 8:37:07 GMT -5 @eurache said:

The time period with the scene, costumes, etc.. just perfect!

The extended street scene where Rita was taking the photos must have been one of the most complex flashbacks they've ever done. So many people in a some many short shots.

Yes, I believe that was Lilly in that picture (going up to steps to a church?) with possibly her dad?

I don't think it was a church. It looked like a house and there was house number, 836, so I'm guessing this was the old family home.

[riche]

Nov 23, 2008 22:05:23 GMT -5 longislanditalian2 said:

Did anyone think that the actress playing Rita, looked a tad bit like Marcia Cross from Desperate Housewives?

I can see what you mean but I was thinking more of someone like Laura Harring (IMDb) of Mulholland Drive fame.

At times young Betty looked a bit like Sean Young (IMDb) in Blade Runner, the little nose and the black, very shaped hair. Though, as others have said, there are obvious parallels with the '50s pin up Bettie Page.

Also the picture of Lilly at the end, was it of Kathryn herself as a little girl

It could have been but they'd have had to do some faking to make it work. Either the photo was doctored to put young Kathryn in front of that building. Or, they built the set Lilly08 was stood in front of to match the old Kathryn photo. Or, and this most likely, they just took a picture of a girl in front of that building and made the photo look old.

[longislanditalian2]

The number could have been the number to her old apartment building, I doubt the family lived in a house for some reason. However getting back to Scotty and Frankie I agree it seemed very force unlike Lillyardo, and I don't really like Frankie that much, she kind of was annoying me.

I really hope this relationship doesn't last, anyways I think Lilly's losing a lot of sleep over this; I almost thought she relapsed into her S5 " Zombie Mode".

[Collider]

"Excellent" from me as well.

As anneinchicago pointed out, the Betty Sue / Betty Page parallels were just absolutely fabulous. I'm a sucker for those episodes where they pointedly and deliberately build a character around a pre-existing figure in history (case in point, Bingo Zohar from "Devil Music"; love or hate the episode, I loved the Elvis vibe through the whole thing, and I loved the Betty Page shout-outs throughout this one too).

IMHO, a very very enjoyable case. I'm not sure why I loved it so much, but I really did. I think they did a fabulous job of capturing the era (when they're hot with era-specific stuff, they're REALLY hot, and this was one of those times), capturing the media they were dealing with... and, for some reason, I really enjoyed all the photography spiel. I found myself absolutely caught up in the flashbacks, and I really really loved that feeling.

Loved the little detective moments... for the Nth week in a row (seriously, I've lost count), Vera was the star of the show, with his "research" (and I think he also got a great interview moment, but damned if I can remember it). Also loved the Scotty/Kat 'panty-sniffer' interview (those two are GENIUS when they work together), and I loved loved loved the fact that one of the guest stars mentioned an alcoholic parent without Lilly whining about her own for ten minutes.

As to the Scotty/Frankie thing? I'm on the fence. Part of me really doesn't understand what the hell is up with the show's sudden insistence on 'hooking up' all their main characters all at the same time... and it's really starting to irritate me. That notwithstanding, Frankie seems pretty likeable as a character, and she's clearly much more believable as a human being than some of Scotty's previous romantic interests... but, again, do we really need another contrived romance on this show?

One of the reasons I loved this show was that the pointless romantic crap (sorry, but it is) was always shunted to the side in favour of actual character development. The detectives get such little time dedicated to their own personal growth, it's such a WASTE to dedicate their precious screentime to pointless romance (and yes, that would include 'with each other', sorry shippers). I love the increased airtime our detectives have got this season, but it's such a disappointment that, nine times out of ten, it's romantically geared (or, in Lilly's case, both romantically geared and regurgitated family drama). Do the writers really have NO other ideas for character development anymore?

That rant notwithstanding... as a whole, I adored this episode. I did, honest... hehe.

[longislanditalian2]

I found this " Relationship" hard to really believe, I think the writers are possibly running out of Ideas when it comes to Scotty. It worked fine with the terms of Lillyardo but now it's kind of getting blah.

Plus the fact I mainly saw Frankie as more a kid than a love interest for Scotty. Anyone notice when Lilly was writing on the board that one of the last names on there was that of KM's current boyfriend and former supervising producer during S4?

As far as Lilly is concerned I don't like where this is heading making her turn from the happy Lilly in the beginning this season to the mopey, boring I'm so wanting my Daddy look on her. It is almost like she's still the zombie of S5, but this time its not about the shooting.

I agree with Collider there is a lack of Character development, but this season it's missing the whole thing.

[eduardodelroice]

It was not a good episode.... at all!... It was perfect! from beginning to end... My favorite until now... I do not know what I am gonna do this season for the season 6 awards but I am going crazy... This episode was perfect! everything: music, actors, YOU FELT LIKE YOU WERE IN 1953, Good plot... everything, Rita was more than a good looking girl, She was a star and a very good person! I even liked who saw Rita at the end... Monty... Every character(even those who did not appear in the end: Bennie and Reg) were well drawn and they gave important clues to the case...Bennie said Betty was a dancer and Reg gave us that important scene where Rita took the pictures!
It was a wonderful episode... This season, I have liked all episodes but some of them made me crazy: true calling, wednesdays women, shore leave, one small step and pin up girl...
Pin up Girl up to now, Its become my favorite... even if the case was more simple than the great WW
HUGE improvement from last's weeks episode...I do not know why so many people voted for one of this season's best on that one and not on this one...

Frankie was useful to the case but I do not want to see another toxic relationship going on in this show
Oh! Vera again a wonderful interrogation...

However, I missed something... When Vera told Betty about her fingerprints in the Gun... then the camera showed Lilly had the records, was that blank pages?

And...
Did anyolse notice that the murder was shot in b/w while the rest of the flashbacks in a different style?

[Electrophile]

Nov 24, 2008 14:37:27 GMT -5 @eduardodelroice said:

However, I missed something... When Vera told Betty about her fingerprints in the Gun... then the camera showed Lilly had the records, was that blank pages?

And...
Did anyolse notice that the murder was shot in b/w while the rest of the flashbacks in a different style?

Yeah, those were blank pages. It's an old officer's trick. They make the suspect think they have all the evidence they need to convict in order to trick them into confessing to the crime. I think they would have been able to get it out of her without saying they had fingerprint analysis evidence (remember, the purse was on the table in the picture AND we know she had it with her on her date), but this way Betty thought she had no other choice but to confess.

I did notice the murder was shot in black and white, but I felt they did that for dramatic effect.

[Electrophile]

Nov 24, 2008 11:17:20 GMT -5 longislanditalian2 said:

I found this " Relationship" hard to really believe, I think the writers are possibly running out of Ideas when it comes to Scotty. It worked fine with the terms of Lillyardo but now it's kind of getting blah.

Plus the fact I mainly saw Frankie as more a kid than a love interest for Scotty. Anyone notice when Lilly was writing on the board that one of the last names on there was that of KM's current boyfriend and former supervising producer during S4?

As far as Lilly is concerned I don't like where this is heading making her turn from the happy Lilly in the beginning this season to the mopey, boring I'm so wanting my Daddy look on her. It is almost like she's still the zombie of S5, but this time its not about the shooting.

I agree with Collider there is a lack of Character development, but this season it's missing the whole thing.

I am very curious to find out where they go with the estranged father angle, because I don't want it to be something that is discussed for all of 5 minutes and then never brought up again BUT I also don't want it to be something that consumes every spare second of the season not devoted to the crimes they're trying to solve. Maybe he's tied to a case that is coming up later in the season? Maybe he's dying and came back to Philly to try to re-connect with his daughter? I don't know where they're going with it, but I want it to be somewhat believable.


As for the Frankie/Scotty "relationship" (I'm putting it in quotes because I don't think it really exists outside the realm of speculation right now).......why do I get the feeling it's nothing more than filler and within maybe 4 more episodes, she'll get "transferred" to another department or something will come up and we'll never see her again? If they're going to take the time to craft some kind of personal life outside the office for the detectives, can they make it something that passes the sniff test?