Episode: 2.16: Revenge

[Naj]

"Revenge" -- The unsolved 1998 death of a 9-year-old boy, Kyle, is re-opened after Stillman's priest reveals that a patron confessed to his involvement in the boy's kidnapping, on COLD CASE, Sunday, March 13 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. David Von Ancken directed from a script by Dan Dworkin and Jay Beattie.


~Naj

Guest Cast List:

Kyle Bream (1998): Cayden Boyd
Tina Bream (1998): Bridgid Brannagh
Ken Bream (1998): Brent Sexton
Father Andrew Stillman: Michael Wiles
Manny Ganz (1998): Brendan Wayne
Bernie Ganz (1998): Kyle Davis
Ed Kripke (1998): Clay Wilcox
Rudy Tanner (1998): Vincent Angell
Janie Stillman: Melinda Page Hamilton
Sandra Riley (1998): Audrey Wasilewski
Archie Tanner (1998): Andrew Michaelson
Archie Tanner (2005): Jesse Head
Brad Witham: Ty Treadway

[Disasterfreak]

This one sounds kind of like the one of the little boy who died in the snow. March 13th, huh? So it'll probably be on cable sometime in mid-April.

[Naj]

SPOILERS















This case was only seven years old and they missed all that information? It doesn't seem possible to me especially Kyle's father getting away with murder. It's very odd to me.

This was such a strange story that I wasn't able to find it too believable although it must have happened. Poor Kyle (Parker) believes his father and mother didn't want him because he's too expensive. And is it me or has CBS been censored about content because they weren't as descriptive about the activities of Kyle with Mr. Tanner.


~Naj

[Ryebeach]

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I'm not sure about this episode.

There were a lot of twists and turns with the Uncle, the parents and Rudy so I must say I did not suspect the son but the whole storyline did not seem at all plausible. I mean did Rudy's wife only come into his house once in a month. Did no one in Rudy's neighborhood notice another boy staying there or did Rudy keep him in the house all the time. I'm sorry but it lacked credibility and it wasn't nearly as heart-wrenching as it could of been.

That being said about the main storyline, I really liked the scenes of Stillman. It's about time we learned more about his background. And we sure did learn a lot. Interesting that his brother is a priest. I'm glad he's trying to connect with his daughter again. And I'm glad that we learned why he and his daughter were estranged. It was nice to get an episode with his backstory for a change. The past few episodes have been too Lilly and Scotty heavy. To me, this is still very much an ensemble show.

[Naj]

I'm not sure about this episode.

I know what you mean. It was on off ep for me. But I realize that what I might not like someone else might like.

There were a lot of twists and turns with the Uncle, the parents and Rudy so I must say I did not suspect the son but the whole storyline did not seem at all plausible. I mean did Rudy's wife only come into his house once in a month

She must have known about Rudy and maybe that's why she kept busy? An excuse to face what was happening? There wasn't enough insight there for me. My tv had some problems tonight around the scene where Stilman was in the bar with his son-in-law? Maybe it was just our local network but it kept blacking out.

Did no one in Rudy's neighborhood notice another boy staying there or did Rudy keep him in the house all the time.

.

I know it wasn't well thought out I thought. What about school? Didn't the kids go to school? foujylos.notlong.com [/IMG]


~Naj

[Disasterfreak]

LOL. Looks like there were lots of kinks in this casefile. Too bad. I'm glad we get to see Stillman's backstory, though. Can't wait for the ep, if only for that reason.

[r2k]

Spoilers Below
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Hey guys. Sorry I haven't been around. Been swamped at work. This episode was a little strange, but I liked it. I teach kids Kyle's age and I found it believable. After CSI's baby fetish episode, it is going to be hard to top anything the Bruckheimer shows have done. The thing that gets me is the killer, or enabler in this case. Seems like the Philly police will lock up anyone now on this show. Accidents and now telling a boy to swim. And lets not have two episode endings in a row being the exact same thing. We've had two people encourage the victims to die. We've also had to killers push their victims by accident. Oh, and to Naj. It wasn't just you. There were problems during the Stillman scene at the bar in Indiana as well. I also felt sorry for Kyle's dad. Seems like the wrong people are going to jail. Anyway, talk to some of you tomorrow night when the chat is on.

[eurache]

Maybe it was just our local network but it kept blacking out.

I had the same problem Naj, I kept hitting our cable box and playing around with the plug. I can hear them talking, but no picture Then it came back...

I was so surprise that the wife of that sicko hubby of hers, could not or would not put two and two together and done something about it. But I guess she ignore this as she did with her own son.

I like when Lily related to the son about being called a "Star". First the wife was called the "star" and then her son and then Kyle... Lily related a story How she was a "star" in describing her mom, putting her to bed and cleaning up after her mom. All her mom done was gently place her hand across her face as Lily did to this boy and then he opened up and explained what happened.. Poor Kyle...

It had alot of twist and turns, I was so mad at the Uncle who could of taken Kyle out of there, but instead took money..

Alot of ppl got arrested that night..gosh..

It was a good story, sad but good..

[webfooted]

In the Stillman story, when he is talking with his daughter in the coffee shop, he is informed that his (ex?) wife will be there also, but in the baptism scene, they only show the priest, the son in law and his daughter. I couldn't quite be sure if there was a back shot of the wife, there is a woman in a blue outfit, but then as it pans, the daughter comes into view and she has on the same color blue outfit, so, are we seeing a different pan of the same scene and the first pan is of the daughter's back and then the pan moves to the front?

I wonder why they would tease us and then not follow through?

[TVFan]

My tv had some problems tonight around the scene where Stilman was in the bar with his son-in-law? Maybe it was just our local network but it kept blacking out.

Mine did as well, and I ended up missing the scene because I was too busy trying to figure out what was wrong with my television/satellite provider. I ended up blaming the local affiliate, but apparently it was widespread.

Other than the weird black out scene, I actually liked the episode. I'm pretty easy to please, though. I thought the case was very heart wrenching. It was killing me that Kyle thought his parents abandoned him. I was so glad that Archie told him the truth at the end. My one complaint about the episode was the son being charged. I really can't see his charges standing up in court. Wouldn't they have to prove intent? He was only 13 years old, so it is entirely possible that he didn't fully realize that Kyle would drown. If he had been an adult, I can see someone making a case, but not a child. Plus, this kid had a lot of deep emotional problems. He was jealous of Kyle because Rudy was molesting him instead of Archie (sick, I know, but he saw it as affection). He wanted Kyle to leave so he could have his father back. I really felt bad for Archie, and in no way blamed him for Kyle's death. I felt that Kyle's death was an accident that was a by-product of his abduction.

The person who is ultimately responsible is the uncle. Not only did he start the whole thing with the kidnapping, but he then sold Kyle to Rudy. He caused both actions that facilitated Kyle's death. I didn't have one ounce of sympathy for him or Rudy for that matter. Even though Rudy didn't kill Kyle, he was a horrible person with the way he abused him and Archie. His ex-wife was really no better as she enabled him to do so by turning a blind eye. I couldn't figure out what this guy had that made him so desirable to everyone around him. It certainly couldn't have been enough to allow him to carry on the way he did.

I felt bad for Kyle's father. I can imagine that most fathers in the same situation would like to do the same thing to the person who abused and (he thought) killed their son. Just a tough case all around.

I thought that Lilly did a wodnerful job in the interrogation room with Archie. She allowed him to trust her, and he started telling her things that he had been previously unwilling to share. I liked the way she imitated the way her mom "rewarded" her as a child. The slight hand across the face gesture was a moving visual.

I also liked the Stillman background in this episode. I'm really enjoying the backstories that we get little by little. I want the show to stay focused on Lilly, but giving us bits and pieces about each of the characters makes them more real and appealing.


ETA: I wondered if the ex-wife didn't show Webfooted. The daughter seemed to have a disappointed look on her face after they panned around the room. I got the impression that she was not at the Baptism.

[Ryebeach]

Webfooted said:

In the Stillman story, when he is talking with his daughter in the coffee shop, he is informed that his (ex?) wife will be there also, but in the baptism scene, they only show the priest, the son in law and his daughter.

I wonder why they would tease us and then not follow through?

My guess is the Ex-wife storyline will be a future episode and if they showed the Ex-wife in the one shot at the Baptism, the audience would know what she looked like, therefore whatever actress played that oh so brief part would have to return to the series down the road, perhaps even next season. Just a thought. At any rate, I think she was at the Baptism but it is obvious she and Stillman don't get along.

[Ryebeach]

TVFan said:

I thought that Lilly did a wodnerful job in the interrogation room with Archie. She allowed him to trust her, and he started telling her things that he had been previously unwilling to share. I liked the way she imitated the way her mom "rewarded" her as a child. The slight hand across the face gesture was a moving visual.

I neglected to mention this in my thoughts on this ep. I also felt that scene was very strong. It also gave us a bit more insight into Lilly's complex history with her mother. And I could definately see how by Lilly relating that part of her childhood could make Archie tell her what really happened to Kyle. That scene was one of the few, in my opinion, that seemed genuine.

[papertiger]

this may have nothing to do with anything, but was Rudy Tanner also the name of Al Clarkson's lawyer in Love Conquers Al??

[TVFan]

I searched TV Tome and IMDB, but I couldn't find a character with that name in Love Conquers Al. Hopefully someone here has it on tape and can let us know for sure. Interesting question Papertiger. Was the Rudy Tanner in this ep a lawyer? I can't remember his profession.

[papertiger]

He didn't actually appear in 'Love Conquers Al'... when Rush was interviewing Al she said something like, "I see Rudy Tanner was your lawyer..." (i think)

[Disasterfreak]

I've finally watched this episode--very, very late as usual. I hate to disagree with the lot of you who didn't like it, but I thought it was just great and totally believable. There were some inconsistencies, the character I liked least was the uncle, not only because he was a despicable person, but because I didn't find him entirely believable. Guess it could happen though, all that cool detachment and empty "I'm scum" remarks afterwards.

My one complaint about the episode was the son being charged. I really can't see his charges standing up in court. Wouldn't they have to prove intent? He was only 13 years old, so it is entirely possible that he didn't fully realize that Kyle would drown. If he had been an adult, I can see someone making a case, but not a child. Plus, this kid had a lot of deep emotional problems.

Totally agree with you there, TV. I guess they had to detain him, but he'd never be charged. He didn't actively kill the kid, and he was too troubled--even as a grown-up, he was troubled. It would never stand.

As for the Stillman story, it was much more subtle than I thought it would be, but just perfect. The few scenes there were gave us enough insight to understand perfectly what was going on. Dunno why, but I had figured Janie to be much younger than she is (36?). And I also thought she looked disappointed at the baptism, which pushes me toward the "mom didn't show up" theory.

The Lilly-Archie scene was great. Also much more subtle than I expected, but very meaningful. It almost seemed Lilly was dissociated at one point--her face took on this faraway look and her voice changed. But I could just be reading too much into it. Sometimes it seems she manipulates the truth to get confessions, but I don't think this was one of such.

LOL, sorry for the long comment... guess I had a lot more to say than I thought. ;D

[Tati]

There'll be a rerun on 8/21/05 (Sunday), 8:00 PM EST.

Source: www.thefutoncritic.com

[byrdman9802]

Good evening everyone,

Hello! This is the Byrdman coming at you all tonight. I hope that everyone is rocking down their weekend, and that you are all ready for antoher great week coming up!

I just finished watching this repeat, and it reaffirmed for me the EXCELLENT music it had! "The Impression That I get" by The Mighty, Mighty Bosstones (thankfully, this was the edited one, I think there is an explicit version of this as well); "6th Avenue Heartache" by the Wallflowers; and "Don't Go Away" by Oasis. Three rocking tunes!

Although this was such a sad tale, the music was cool. I really enjoyed it, and I hope that you did as well, everyone!

Take care, and have a great night and upcoming week, boys and girls!

[toodledo22]

This episode was pretty good. I think that the story was mostly realistic, but from the beginning I didn't really think the drowned boy was Kyle Briehem at all, when the mother was saying: "That's not Kyle, it can't be they can't put him in a bag" But it did turn out that he was dead. It was sad but, it was a wake up call as to what is really going on out there. I think that Archie was in denial about his father sexualy abusing him and I think Scotty cinvinced him that it wasn't a normal father-son relationship.

I don't understand who this Brad Whitiman is. Is he Jaynie's rapist?

[TVFan]

I didn't rewatch this one, but is Brad Whitman the guy that works in the bar? If so, then he is Janie's rapist, toodledo22.