Episode 2.11 Blank Generation

[Naj]

In light of a new fatality, a cult member's 1978 suicide is re-examined. 60 minutes- (CC), N, In Stereo

Sun Jan 9 08:00P on CBS Network

Remember that the Live Chat for this episode will take place the following Monday (January 10th) at 5:30PT/8:30ET!


{source tvnow.com}


~Naj



Guest Cast List:

Matthew Adams: Bug Hall
Alison Ray ('78): Polly Cusumano
Alison Ray ('05): Susan Savage
Stewart Adams ('05): Paul Gleason
Stewart Adams ('78): Bruce Wright
Maurice ('78): Johnny Whitworth
Maurice ('05): Madison Mason
Nick Logan ('05): David A. Kimball
Nick Logan ('78): Daniel Dash
Beth Adams ('78): Katie Walder
Beth Adams ('05): Kate McNeil
Anna Mayes: Robin Weigert
Bill Crawford ('78): Jason Matthew Smith
Bill Crawford ('05): Franc Ross

[Nikki B.]

Hmm.. I'm not so sure about this ep. I hope it's a good one! [/size]

[Naj]

Spoiler space
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Well, I was more captivated by the personal story here with Scotty and his loss. I just couldn't help it as it was well done. Plus I was a bit pre-occupied with the soundtrack too. I never guessed the killer. heh heh, I usually don't. The actor that played Mathew's sister looked like she could have played an older sister to Lilly.


~Naj

[r2k]

Spoilers Ahead
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I had a feeling it was going to be the girlfriend because it was the perfect plot twist. This was a cool episode. Vera was in top form with his remarks. The scene with the cats was the funniest. Lily was so devastated when he said "What's wrong with your cats?" It's almost as if she doesn't see it at all. The look on her face was priceless. The flashback scenes were given a little kick with the still pictures. This was clearly a punk scene episode. And it was nice to see the principal from the Breakfast Club make an appearance. As for Elisa. We definitely knew what the bad news was going to be. With her going on to star in her own show, it was meant to be. Scotty played the part well tonight as well as Stillman showing his concern. The final song was a little faster than usual. All in all, I rate this the best of the season so far. By the way, I downloaded that Mad TV spoof last night because I had to see it again. Still funny. Still love it when she scratches her head with the pencil and it gets lost in her hair. Later.

[Trublu]

I totally agree Naj. The storyline was expertly written, and i thought there was an excelent balance between Scotty's loss and the case. I have to say, I did the same thing Naj. I think i was paying more attention to Scotty's loss than i was to the case itself. I felt so bad for him; he seemed so torn up. It seems like everyone in the squad genuinely was concerned about him. Even after Lilly's apartment was broken into, she was still more concerned about Scotty.

I was a little surprised that they let Scotty interrogate Maurice at all, given what his state of mind must have been. (I'm not saying that everybody's state of mind is the same after they lose a loved one, but in Scotty's case i dont think he could have possibly been stable.)
I was also extremely surprised that Lilly didnt try a little harder to keep Scotty back. After that innitial 'Scotty', i was surprised that she let him push her down so quickly, easily, almost effortlessly.

However, amid all this sadness, i picked up on more comedy than i think i've ever noticed in the show before. I dont remember each joke right now, but there is one that sticks in my mind. "what is wrong with you cats?" "Nothing!!" That made me laugh so hard.

Kay, now to the actual case... I missed the first 15 minutes, so im a little hazy on some of the details. But i can honestly say, even with the first 15 minutes, i probably wouldnt have guessed who the killer was. I thought that it was either Maurice, or the second in command guy.. missed his name. Allison, seemed like a good little girl who did whatever she was told, and i looked over the fact that it probably included murder.

[Tracylynn]

I thought this episode was pretty good but I still like the "Sleepover" better.

I will have to say that I was more intrigue with Scotty's story line then the actual crime case. They did Scotty's story so well and it was so heartbreaking. I guess I thought since she was in the hospital she would get better and get back with Scotty but she didn't. The look on his face just tore me up. How could one not reach out to help him? I can't believe it ended this way.

I will have to say that I did figure out who the guilty one was. I just picked up a vibe from her at the beginning and I was right about it.

What I thought was interesting is how they played on the notion of being "sick" in the head. Scotty's girlfriend was "sick" in the head and she knew it and she was getting help. Allison and the others were "sick" in the head but they thought they were normal and everyone else was sick. They lived but Allysa didn't. Wow!

Tracy

Oh, I changed my avatar to one of my favorite male skaters, Alexei Yagudin. It's that time of the year. Yeah!

[Ryebeach]

The Elisa/Scotty storyline was heartbreaking and played very well. I agree there was just the right balance so that neither plot line was diminished at all.

As for the cold case, I never guessed it was Allison. That blew me away. She was one cold girl. I felt bad for Matthew. His father was demanding and intimidating as played out during the dinner scene. I was also surprised the mother killed herself right then after the father had said just do it or shut up. The poor kids. I can understand why Matthew was kind of messed up. I felt so bad for his sister though. She thought she could get through to him and in reality she did although she never knew it.

Vera was full of quips tonite though none beat the, "What's wroung with these cats?" Very funny.

The scene at the gallery was really creepy with Lilly and Allison. I can't believe Lilly almost drank that tea. My pulse was racing for that scene.

Danny Pino has to be commended for his terrific performance tonite. His scene with John Finn in the apartment was amazing. He had me choked up.

One of the better eps this season.

On a side note, I noticed that in both this episode and "The Hitchhiker," the victims name was Matt.

[samanda]

I felt really bad for Scotty, though i'd have to say that i anticipated the suicide. It struck me as weird though seeing how dejected he looked, and we're hearing he's gonna get together with Chris.
Wouldn't that be freaky if they tested the tea Lilly was going to drink and they found it had a high cyanide concentration?

[CC Fan]

I really liked that episode. I feel like the show is finally becoming it's own. I thought the camera work and the different cuts in the flashbacks were cool.

I too felt bad for Scotty and I felt bad for Lilly too that he house got broken into.

[TVFan]

Another excellent episode. I thought that the personnal stuff and the case were each given the right amount of time. Neither managed to overshadow the other, and they even ran parallel. Very well done.

The case was very interesting. I never suspected Allison because, as others have said, she seemed too much of a follower to take a strong, commanding lead. I also thought she seemed so innocent. I bought her story about the abusive husband and the second in command now runnging the cult. I totally missed the fact that her tatoo designs were a clue to Lilly's home invasion. Nice twist, though. I wonder if she would have really poisened Lilly, or if the tea was fine.

I thought the scene in the tatoo shop with Lilly and Allison was well done. I can't remember another episode where we had Lilly talking to a suspect and not knowing that he/she is the real killer. I liked how she used her smarts (noticing the tatoo art) and her gun ("on your knees") to disable Allison and bring her in. Very clever, and well planned out scene.

LOVED the editing in the flashbacks. The quick cuts, jump cuts, and still frames really reinforced the punk theme to the episode. I know I've said this before, but CC does such a nice job of utilizing all the creative elements to film making. There are very few shows that do the same. It really adds to the overall feel and message to the show.

Scotty's storyline was very sad. My heart really broke for him. I have a feeling that one of the reasons he refuses to accept Elisa's death as a suicide has to do with how things were with them. He recently called it quits with her because he felt "it was time to move on." He put her back in the hospital (something he had promised her he wouldn't do) and broke it off with her. I wouldn't be surprised if part of him blames himself for her death. He might not want to face it, because that would mean facing what he feels he did to her. Elisa just couldn't deal with her illness anymore. She wrote about the good times b/c that is what she wanted to go back to, and couldn't. Very sad. I'm hoping that future eps will have a scene between him and Lilly. I thought that this ep lacked it, and it was needed. They're partners, which makes them close, and I would like to see them there for each other when bad things arise (Like Benson and Stabler on Law & Order: SVU).

Overall, a very powerful episode.

[jannasam]

Have not seen the episode yet (Live in Germany). Perhaps it really was not a suicide, could be a case for our team, or? Maybe the writers are going to write an own episode about Elisa's "case"

[Nikki B.]

Somewhat of a spoiler..
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I really liked how they tied in Alyssa's death to the case that was being re-opened. It seemed to flow better. I think that if they had the same idea but in a different episode, it wouldn't have made much sense.

This was probably one of my favorite episodes for 2nd season. [/size]

[Ryebeach]

TVFan said:

LOVED the editing in the flashbacks. The quick cuts, jump cuts, and still frames really reinforced the punk theme to the episode. I know I've said this before, but CC does such a nice job of utilizing all the creative elements to film making. There are very few shows that do the same. It really adds to the overall feel and message to the show.

Thanks for pointing this out TVFan. The camera work and editing really stood out in this ep and from that perspective this was one of the best eps.

[samanda]

Just thought I'd point out a few things that i thought were coincidental.

1) The two actresses who play Beth are named Kate and Katie.
2) The number of the motel room number that they were trying to deprogram Matt in and the apartment Scotty was packing up in was 5.

I also thought it was hilarious when Nick asked Lilly what was wrong with her cats. Will and Stillman both looked at the cats after Nick mentioned it. I was laughing so hard.

[TVFan]

Thanks for pointing those out a2z. I completely missed them. I too thought the cat comment was funny. Loved the look on everyone's faces. foujylos.notlong.com [/IMG]

[Ryebeach]

a2z said:

Just thought I'd point out a few things that i thought were coincidental.

1) The two actresses who play Beth are named Kate and Katie.
2) The number of the motel room number that they were trying to deprogram Matt in and the apartment Scotty was packing up in was 5.

Wow, a2z, I usually try to pick up on the little tidbits like these but totally missed both of them. Nice catch.

[irishkale]

I HATED the flashbacks!

I can understand why they chose to do it that way-- but it felt very out-of-place, given the time period in which the flashbacks were set (1978). The flashes, the freezes, the jumpcuts, the motion-controlled quick moves (which don't look hand-held but have a smoothness to them)
... it seems more a technique from the mid 1990's than in the period of the late 70's. It made the flashbacks feel as if they were taking place in the present, rather than 26 years earlier.

Also the music seemed out of place.... for example:
the song "cruel to be kind" during the dinner scene where Matthew tells his father he's going to art school instead of Med school... It's like the editor of the show put in a song that's the complete opposite of the mood of the dialogue onscreen. Also the cuts were completely out of sync with the tempo of the music.

I'm sure they did this on purpose to "disorient" us the viewers... or to put us into the mind of the cult members. (remember how Matthew is put into the isolation room in total darkness to disorientate his senses and turn him into a cult member.)

I can understand why they did it, but it just seemed too gimmicky and playful, for what was really a serious episode.

Those gripes aside... I really liked most of the episode. Scotty getting choked up at the end... Hopefully Danny Pino gets more chances to stretch his acting muscles...


There's also a great moment between the father and Jeffries... about 35 minutes into the episode:

when the dad says "As for Matthew, have you ever looked into the eyes of someone you loved and realized the person you know is gone?" Jeffries looks down and just says "yeah." If you watch that whole scene, you can see how Jeffries' character is going through something deeply internal--he's thinking of something else; watch how Thom Barries eyes sort of glass over during the scene. I don't know anything about acting, but Thom Barry just seems awesome to me!


The cats are now becoming a running joke Would have been funny if Vera tried to pet one!

[Naj]

The Vera remark about the cats was truly Vera. Poor Lilly. No one understands her compassion.

The flashes, the freezes, the jumpcuts, the motion-controlled quick moves (which don't look hand-held but have a smoothness to them)
... it seems more a technique from the mid 1990's than in the period of the late 70's. It made the flashbacks feel as if they were taking place in the present, rather than 26 years earlier.

I didn't particularily care for these camera tricks. If it were a music video, yes, but not a television show. It's distracting more than anything.

They have cut down about 5 songs per ep as opposed to 10-11 songs in the frist season. I'm happy about that. Maybe they choose to do this or found that it was difficult to get so many authorizations.

I did tape this one and hope to get back and rewatch it as I was so caught up in Scotty's storyline I lost track of the case.


~Naj

[papertiger]

I completely agree that the camera tricks were distracting..

also, i just noticed that the actor who played Maurice was the dude from Empire Records...

[ilctoh]

OK, stupid question, but here it goes - what was the song they played at the end of the show?