Ep. 5.18 Ghost of My Child *SEASON FINALE*

[TVFan]

LILLY AND HER TEAM INVESTIGATE WHEN A FORMER JUNKIE CLAIMS SHE JUST SAW HER CHILD IN A PARK, EVEN THOUGH HE DIED IN A FIRE IN 2005, ON THE FIFTH SEASON FINALE OF "COLD CASE," SUNDAY, MAY 4, AT A SPECIAL TIME, 8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT

Emmy Award Winner Bobby Cannavale ("Will & Grace," "Third Watch")

Returns as Narcotics Cop Eddie Saccardo

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

Eddie Saccardo...............Bobby Cannavale

Priscilla Chapin..................Nicholle Tom

James McElroy........................ Erik Van Wyck

Victor Martinez............... Julio Oscar Mechoso

Franklin Palmer...................... Chandler Parker

Lois Rabinski............................... Molly Hagan

Dr. Thomas Rabinski.................... John Prosky

Ellis Ward.................................. Alex Feldman

Hayden Chapin............................. Mark Pinter

Julia Chapin............................. Deborah Strang

Max........................................... Ridge Perkett

Fireman #1.............................. Teddy Lane, Jr.

Bomb Squad Louie................... Doug Spinuzza

Matt the Boss............................. Brad Surosky

Chantelle Legros....................... Sufe Bradshaw

WRITTEN BY: Liz Garcia, the series' consulting producer

DIRECTED BY: Roxann Dawson, one of the series' producers

[longislanditalian2]

What a good episode, I think there is something going on btwn Lilly and Eddie who this time wasn't like we seen him, actually he isn't that bad. How cute was that with Scotty and Lilly pulling up with the son in the car, first I thought that could be a good family.

This episode reminded me of " Fly Away" and Maternal Instints" but I know Lilly was thinking about her mother how she treated her thinking back to Baby Blues Lilly told the mother her mother left her all alone in the apartment, but when Priscilla mentioned that I instantly thought back to that episode.

There is conflict btwn Lilly loving her mother and hating her still.

[coldfan74]

i vote excellent for this episode. it's definitely a heart tugger. but i found myself more angry with the rabinksi's. they were sicker than the addicts for deliberately staging that kidnap.
i was surprised to see the actress playing priscilla play the role but she did a good job. she looked familiar and then i remembered from the nanny during the early 90's.

lilly definitely took this case personally as much as valens did with "slipping" but i do find myself annoyed with her being "easily" pessimistic with druggies and moms. with what she's been through in the last few seasons, you would expect a more optimistic lilly but she seems darker each season heh
for those of you wishing more lily time...she got it! ;-)

inspired by boxman..the one detail i did catch was that just because max wasn't dead didnt mean some other kid didnt die. max had it easier than his decoy who not only was beaten to death but dr rabinksi desecrated him further using him for his sick intentions.
i did appreciate that jeffries and stillman did throw away max's box but created a new one for young john doe.
that left the ending somewhat mixed feelings for me as well.

this episode definitely does not meet of what you would expect of season finales but i dont count it against them because i believe this was NOT meant to be a season finisher due to the strike.

im saddened that we'll have to wait months before the new season but there's always re-runs for now :-)

[coldfan74]

longisland: in reference to "baby blues"..i was thinking the exact the same thing. but during the last flashback..they did play one of the opening episode themes for "baby blues"..perhaps a memory trigger?

[qirjanran]

absolutely agree with you, coldcasefan74. it was a great episode. i'm a bit disappointed because i wanted something BIG, either personally or case-wise, since it was supposed to be the season finale but, i don't hold it against them, because obviously the writers' strike disrupted the flow of things! and cut our season short, darn, haha.

but it was a great episode. the ending was beautiful, i loved it. i can't believe those kidnappers, though, i definitely didn't see that coming, i thought it'd go back to the landlord. how horrible of that couple to just steal that child. but at least they were re-united, thank goodness! i am loving these past few re-united episodes of cold case [the road!]. it always makes me happy rather than just breaking my heart when i realize that even though they've solved the case, the victim is dead and can't be brought back!

i liked saccardo in this. i definitely wanted more scotty/lilly [duh, i want them!] but obviously they'd want to leave the audience with eddie on our mind since he's to be lilly's new love interest. so, that'll be interesting to see him in the next season.

when does the new season start?!! haha. i've been watching this show on and off for a few years but only this season have i reallyyy sat down and become a huge fan. i managed to find the past few seasons so going to enjoy those over the summer but i want new stuff!!

love this show. can't wait for the fall!

[boxman]

This episode reminded me of the real-life Philadelphia case of Delimar Vera from a few years ago. I wouldn't be surprised if Liz Garcia was inspired by it because it was such an incredible case.

[longislanditalian2]

Anyone notice Louie was rhyming when Lilly told him he didn't have to get dressed up? Good play on last week's episode when Vera mentioned that poetry was supposed to Rhyhm.

[cellogal]

or maybe Louie's been reading the Dr. Seuss Shipper Thread

[yankee1151]

or maybe Louie's been reading the Dr. Seuss Shipper Thread

LOL.

I kind of love Louie.

[longislanditalian2]

I think the writers must of read my fic, cause I have Lilly and Scotty having a son in one of them. Wait he wasn't their son but Lilly looked like a mother when talking to Priscilla's son, it's good the writers brought up Lilly's past again.

[boxman]

A bit coincidentally, this article about Rittenhouse Square appeared in today's Philly.com:

www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20080504_Rittenhouse_Square_keeps_on_thriving.html
Posted on Sun, May. 4, 2008
Rittenhouse Square keeps on thriving
By Suzette Parmley
Inquirer Staff Writer



Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square may conjure many images: A "mini-Central Park," a pricey sliver of green heaven in the city, a luxury shopper's paradise.

These days, a slowdown in the economy across the region and nation may reinforce another image of the square's place in Philadelphia: economic oasis.

Nearly a dozen high-end retailers and developers are charging ahead with plans to open or build in the high-rent neighborhood. Last week, the developer KIMCO Urban Redevelopment Venture of New York unveiled plans for the historical 1805 Walnut St. building - home to the Barnes & Noble bookstore directly across from the park - after buying the nine-story building from ARCWheeler for $25.5 million. Mallin Panchelli Nadel Realty represented ARCWheeler on the sale.

KIMCO said it had commitments to add an Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa on the fourth floor and luxury condos overlooking the famous park on the top five floors, according to Shaun Lyons, the broker who represented KIMCO in the deal.

The 1805 Walnut announcement followed a string of high-end retailers that have moved in, launched projects, or announced plans to move to the Rittenhouse Square area.

Wrapped around the Barnes & Noble building and facing 18th and Walnut Streets is the project being called 10 Rittenhouse - a luxury condo tower that's expected to be completed by mid-2009.

A 31-story, 29-unit ultra-luxury condo tower on 1706 Rittenhouse Square St. is well under way.

A vacant lot formerly owned by the Philadelphia Parking Authority at 19th and Walnut was acquired by Castleway Property L.L.C., an Irish developer, for $36.7 million last year. Castleway says it intends to build a hotel and residential tower there.

Rittenhouse Square long has been a prosperous spot in the heart of the city, thriving sometimes in contrast to other neighborhoods where residents and businesses may struggle with the vagaries of the economy, crime and population loss.

The Center City Residential Association defines the Rittenhouse Square area as stretching from South Street to J.F.K. Boulevard, and from Broad Street to the Schuylkill.

But the immediate area around the square is the crown jewel, which often prospers no matter what happens elsewhere. If there is a recession, you'd never know by the level of activity in the area.

"Rittenhouse Square is the long-standing most desirable neighborhood of Philadelphia," said Paul R. Levy, president and chief executive officer of the Center City District.

It stands out in the city as "far less affected by" the national downturn than other cities, Levy said. "Of the 10 largest metropolitan cities last year, Philadelphia had the lowest foreclosure rate."

The 1990s brought a residential resurgence with the conversions of hotels, such as the Warwick and the Rittenhouse, into luxury condos.

Lyons, a managing partner at Precision Realty Group L.L.C., which has an office at 1701 Walnut, said Rittenhouse Square continued to be a prime target for developers.

"Philadelphia has been an under market for so long that it's now attracting investors from New York and abroad," Lyons said, referring to Center City generally and Rittenhouse Square in particular. "They are moving to Philadelphia - either acquiring assets here and sometimes leasing space."

Levy said there were several factors working in Center City's advantage and fueling Rittenhouse's strength: stable job growth downtown, particularly in the office, health-care and education sectors; a high owner occupancy level; and an influx of educated, middle- and high-income residents.

"This means the demand for downtown housing is strong and sustainable compared to the national trend," Levy said. "We are clearly slowing down much more slowly than other places, and units are getting bought."

Tom Scannapieco, the developer of 1706 Rittenhouse Square, a condo tower under construction, said a third of the 29 units had been sold. Most start at $4 million.

"If you're going to do a project aimed at the top of the market, this is the only location that we would consider," Scannapieco said.

The condo market for Rittenhouse Square has been remarkably stable, said Kevin Gillen, a Wharton research fellow and vice president of Econsult Corp., a consulting firm.

Gillen said volume - the number of condo units that changed hands - was up this past winter from a year previous, which was rare, "considering the catastrophic news we keep hearing."

Gillen, who also cited Washington Square as a premier living spot, said the price per square foot at Rittenhouse Square starts at $700 and goes over $1,000. By comparison, a condo in Northern Liberties goes for about $200 to $400 per square foot. An existing rowhouse goes for about $115 per square foot.

"No matter how tough the market gets, if you can hold on to land at Rittenhouse Square, you'll be fine," he said. "It's really a unique urban American space, and the fact that it is not large is really what helps it retain that cache of attractiveness."

The park's ambience is what sold Sandy Phillips, who moved from Chadds Ford, Delaware County, six years ago to 19th and Chestnut.

"Rittenhouse Square is socialization," the 57-year-old artist said as she walked her Jack Russell terrier last week across from the Barnes & Noble. "You never have to make plans for the day because you always run into someone that provides an opportunity for that day."

The retail sector is also bustling. Lyons, the real estate broker, said he had worked on $150 million in acquisitions on KIMCO's behalf over the last two years, including 1401 Walnut, occupied by Banana Republic; 1429 Walnut, home to Armani Exchange; and 1628 and 1701 Walnut Street.

Walnut Street now fetches the highest retail rental rates in the city, about $90 to $150 per square foot, Lyons said.

Last week, Les Schwartzberg, 61, owner of Les Richards Menswear, unveiled a new store at the Shops at Liberty Place at 17th and Chestnut. He has another store in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and said he considered only one location in Philadelphia.

"I think this is where the city is growing right now," Schwartzberg said.

Rich Harkins, 64, a retired airline executive, moved from Islesboro, Maine, to 19th and Spruce last November.

"There is a renaissance," Harkins said as he walked through the square to a bakery and butcher with his pugs, Lucia and Mooshka. "A lot of people find living in the city exciting and buying your groceries on foot exhilarating."

Contact staff writer Suzette Parmley at 215-854-2594 or [e-mail].

[TVFan]

This season has been so disjointed because of the strike that I have a hard time with the "one of this season's best" option. The flow was interrupted midway through, and I think it knocked me off of my game. I'm going to give this one an "excellent," though. It certainly wasn't up to the usual finale criteria. Of course, I'm thankful that this was the season finale and not "Spiders," because that would have meant no extra 5 episodes.

The case is this one was very good (even if it was very reminiscent of "Fly Away" right down to Lil's judgmental side rearing its ugly head with the mother) and I LOVED the personal link for Lilly. It gave her more to do this week and that is always welcome. There were a few plot holes -- like the Fire Marshall not knowing where the fire started or that the window should have been blown out instead of shattered into the bedroom -- but, I overlooked them because they ended up having little to do with the story. I was also thrilled to see Louis again! Yay to Philly's finest CSU scientist! This was an emotional case, and it certainly took its toll on Lil and her continued struggle to make sense of her mother's actions when she was alive and all of the questions she left behind with her death. I was glad to see some continuity with this story.

I was so happy that Max was alive (and that his kidnapping "parents" got what they deserved), but it was sad to realize that little Baby John Doe died and no one even knows his name or who's responsible for his untimely death. I'm wondering if he'll be Lil and co.'s first case of the new season. The camera seemed to linger on that box at the end, and it would more than likely give them an excuse to include Saccardo.

I suppose we should discuss Saccardo, right? I'm really glad that I reserved judgment on this character. I had a feeling that his macho act was just a ruse to impress Lil. I had that sinking suspicion that there was more to him than we first thought. Tonight's finale proved these suspicions right. He certainly had her number about the addict moms with kids, but the thing that impressed me the most was his honesty at the flower mart. When Lilly started to get a little personal with Priscilla, Saccardo sensed that it was uncomfortable. So, he decided to reveal something personal about himself. He drew on his own experiences as a user to get Priscilla to open up. It let Lilly know that he has secrets too and he wasn't going to force her to reveal something she didn't want to. There was respect there, and Lilly didn't let it go unnoticed. It was just enough to make me intrigued about their potential.

Overall, a strong episode, but not up to speed with the usual finales (but, I'm not going to hold it against them ).


ETA: Thanks for the article on Rittenhouse Square, boxman. I was in Philly a little over a week ago and stayed about a block away from there. We spent a lot of time in Rittenhouse Square because it was just so beautiful and the weather had everyone out and about. Also saw Lauren Graham filming a movie called "Dream of the Romans." GREAT part of the city. Glad to see it's prospering.

[longislanditalian2]

I had a feeling Eddie really likes Lilly, he seems so different from everyone else. At least he was a little tame this time, but getting back to Lilly admitting her mother was an addict and reliving that the fact she was left alone as a child I mentioned " Baby Blues" with Lilly saying that in a previes episode. Perhaps Ellen wanted to give Lilly up and give her a better life like Priscilla's parents had said.

Maybe it was a mother's love that kept Lilly with her, like Priscilla did with Max.

[boxman]

TVFan, I'm happy you liked the article! Did you do any shopping while you were there? It's interesting to hear you say another movie was filming there... I remember the square for Eddie Murphy's scene in "Trading Places"...

May 4, 2008 21:41:57 GMT -5 TVFan said:

There were a few plot holes -- like the Fire Marshall not knowing where the fire started or that the window should have been blown out instead of shattered into the bedroom...

As I mentioned earlier, this case seemed to be based upon the real-life case of Delimar Vera. One of the reasons why Delimar remained assumed dead for so long is that the Philly FD had mistakenly assumed her body was fully consumed and incinerated by the fire--Whereas the FD report also conflicted with that theory, saying the fire shouldn't have lasted long enough to completely destroy the infant's remains. So mixups and shoddy investigations do happen, even with the Fire Department. Unfortunately, the "plot holes" you point out in this episode was (to me, at least), not as severe of a mixup as in the real-life Delimar Vera case.

[riche]

It's not often I get to comment this early on. Normally I have to avoid sections of the board for most of Monday. Today, thanks to a national holiday in the UK, I got my dose of Lilly before lunch. Now I'm hungry

Very good episode. Wasn't sure where it was going, though the kid being a live was not a big shock.

I did sort of peg the doer when I saw her based on my "I've seen her in lots of other things" before rule. What I couldn't see was the motive for it. The nearest I got was something happening between her and Ellis, which was clearly way off. I guess her mentioning of her 4 year old son was the big clue.

So, not surprisingly Eddie is not such a jerk after all. He showed that he does the job he does (vice) because he has some personal experience. Lilly will respect and feel a kinship with him for that, and she likes them "damaged". He was going a bit overboard on Ellis, slamming his head into the car. Scotty didn't seem impressed with his "you missed a bit" comment.

No second helping of pie for Will? Is this another thread that will be lost?

Thanks for the "The Nanny" reference coldfan74, I knew I recognised that face from somewhere.

[Collider]

Afraid this one just gets a "good" from me.

In the main, this was the first episode that I've looked at and could actually feel the effects of the writer's strike (far more so than "Bad Reputation"). While the acting, camerawork, musical scores, and all similar such things were absolutely stunning... the writing, for me, felt a little bit strained, in terms of the construction of the story, more than any particular scene. Sort of like, they had their ending all written out, and they tried to build the story itself around an ending that wasn't even particularly shocking... so that, instead of reading like a story going from beginning to end, it felt to me like a story going backwards.

I should also make the point, I almost never manage to pin down the doer in this show until the last couple of interrogations. I'm lame at guessing things like that, and I also get so caught up in the storytelling that I forget to try and piece things together. But, for me, the second they finished interviewing the counsellor for the first time, and she threw out that throwaway line about having a four-year-old... I just sort of mentally facepalm'd and thought "so, there's our doer, then" and pretty much just shrugged off the next half-hour. It didn't even leave any questions or any hope for some big plot-changing twist, IMHO, because it was just so frickin' specific (and, IMHO, unnecessarily so), the whole thing simply felt painful in its obviousness.

Having said that... as I think I mentioned, taking what I saw as a let-down in the writing for this episode, every other aspect was lovely. And, yea, Saccardo didn't make me want to kick him this week, not even once, so major kudos to Cannavale for that. LOVED his scene with the junkie mother towards the end, absolutely loved it. And, while I'm still not 100% buying into a relationship between him and Lil, I'm about six billion times more optimistic about the whole thing than I was after "Bad Reputation". Just goes to show, there's always a second chance at a first impression. Or, err, something.

I'm sure I'd have a tonne more to say here, but I'm still sniffling from the ending, so I shall leave it here.

[longislanditalian2]

When Priscilla tells tell the woman " No one tells us it's going to be easy" another reference to " Baby Blues" there.

[Kayli]

I really liked this ep, and I actually REALLY like Eddie, I think I'm turning into a bit of a shipper and actually going off L/S!! What's happening to me?!

[LillyKat]

Well, I guess I may be in the minority on this one ... as all I can seemingly think this morning is: So, that was the season finale? It felt like a mid-season episode.

Hmmm … I will apologize upfront if this does come across as rather harsh, but for the second season in a row, I’m scratching my head about the season finale.

Why? Because I felt like I had seen/heard it all before: another deadbeat mom story (albeit deadbeat mom doesn’t actually turn out to be so deadbeat, and instead, a victim of a baby snatch; okay, two points for the baby snatching twist). But let’s once again do a mom-missing/neglected-child episode so as to dredge up all of Lilly's mom/childhood issues because the previous 1,467 times wasn’t enough. Better still, let’s have her take the case personally, recite the same ol’, same ol’ and still not move her beyond where she was at the beginning of the season ... or last season ... or the season before that.

Yawn.

I’m not sure anything could really top my utter dismay of the decision to just up and kill off mom last year before ANYTHING ever got dealt with in terms of Lilly’s own personal growth as it pertains to her mom and/or childhood (and of which subsequently never really got dealt with this year). But to now, literally, be bored with the decision to go back to almost a been there, done that storyline is, IMHO, unimpressive and yet another wasted opportunity to do something other than watch Lilly repeat herself. So, she takes the case personally? And ...? So ...? Does she ever change anything? No.

And the new guy? Eddie Sogottago has really just.got.to.go. I’m still unimpressed and completely turned off. Though the machismo was toned down considerably in this episode, suddenly this guy is an expert on her life? Why on earth was he the one doing the final touchy-feely interview with the Priscilla at the flower shop? Shouldn’t that have been Lilly’s speech? And shouldn’t that have been alongside someone like Scotty or Kat? Are the producers irked with Kathryn Morris or something? Is that why she’s seemingly in the background of this show nowadays? A sidekick?

Whatever.

I fear what I said last week in the "Slipping" thread has come true for me: I’m bored enough with CC's formula and its lack of character development on the part of Lilly Rush that I would now rather watch other things. Thus, I think I’m done with this show. Now it is true that, as a follower of Kathryn Morris, I’m sort of duty-bound to keep watching given I don’t want the added chore of catching up on this show once again (been there, done that); and I have made it a point to keep up with all her projects (which this is). But as for feeling like I have anything left to contribute to writing about episodes … can’t say that I do. And it’s a sad thing for me to admit.

There is an interesting article in this morning’s Los Angeles Times calendar section about the state of network viewership. That is, although ratings are down across the board for all networks, which was obviously not helped as a result of the writers strike, even with the new batch of programming they’ve cranked out, people continue to stay away from the shows they had been watching. Moreover, the columnist discusses the need of each network to continue to offer viewers something compelling to watch, and that the CBS crime shows are aging not only in what they are offering but in how people perceive them.

And I have to say, I agree. CC is not only showing its age, IMHO, it's not doing anything THAT new or THAT compelling to keep people interested – especially those who came to watch it because of Lilly Rush. And at some point, I feel like The X-Files analogy starts to creep in; that is, tinkering with the premise of a show, taking it in one too many new directions, trying to outsmart viewers who were there from Day 1 does backfire. At some point, you can go too far in tinkering, too far in trying to think you can change it, and you alienate your core. And once you slip into delivering formula, IMHO, people move on. They stop watching. They find something else because what you're offering doesn't cut it anymore.

I know how hard thse folks worked to give us these episodes post-strike. The crew put in insane hours shooting double episodes at once. But creatively, this show is just stagnant. And with this lackluster of a finale, I wonder what will compel people to want to tune in next fall. Or the fall after that. It can't just always be about the cases. And you can't have your main character in a perpetual state of going nowhere.

[yankee1151]

Once again, LillyKat, I agree with your assessment. Though I didn't dislike the ep nearly as much as you did, the Lilly stuff annoyed me to no end. Again. It's making me crazy. You said it all so I won't. And no, it didn't feel like a season finale, but due to the strike I wasn't really expecting it to so whatever.

The case was a'ight (and how cute was Lilly saying "a'ight" - I loved that) but yes it did feel like a regurgitation of a few past cases (Fly Away being one, which I may have mentioned one or 100 times that I hated). The chick from the Nanny (or as I remember her, Sue Scanlon aka the sister of the kid who blew his brains out on Beverly Hills 90210) was excellent so points for her.

Yeah, so Saccardo didn't annoy me all that much, which did surprise me. I mean, clearly, we were going to see a different side of him - this was obviously the plan from the jump. Make him obnoxious, then show a softer side, yada yada yada. Otherwise no one would find him the least bit believable as a love interest for Lilly. I didn't expect to fall for it, though. He annoys me less than Scotty did on Scotty's second episode, so. Whatevs, we'll see.

As always, Louie rules.