“You just don’t get it do you? It doesn’t matter who the victim is; it’s the killer we’re after.” This was said to a rape victim after a rapist had been found murdered. It was said with conviction, and leaving no room for doubt. It was said to convey an absolute wrong in the face of vigilantism. And it was said by Lindsay Monroe. Not in this week’s episode Vigilante, but in season 4 episode Commuted Sentences, an episode about two women who kill in the name of justice. Sound familiar? Yet, when comparing the episodes (and their vast similarities...and there are a vast number of them) it is surprising the difference in tone between them.
A brief look at history contends that the CSI’s on our show are determined to find the killer, no matter who the victims is and in truth no matter who the killer is. In season 4, Flack and Mac interrogate rape victim and murder suspect Fern Laslow without apology; their job was to catch the killer. There was no discussion about right and wrong. In season 7, the episode revolves around such discussions; Lindsay and Hawkes, Jo and Danny, Jo and Lindsay, Lindsay and Kate (Lindsay Price), Mac and the lawyer Annie Cartland (Megan Ward). Everyone had a chance to weigh in, provide different sides of the argument. Writer Christopher Silber, who wrote one of my more favorite episodes of this season Out of the Sky and one of my least favorites Shop Till You Drop, really took the opportunity to explore our beloved characters. The dialogue was heavy with back-stories and emotion. This episode is an argument for how a single case story line could be successful. There was a lot of crime solving while allowing for a chance to get to know and grow the characters. Silber also had the characters move outside the formula of this season; Flack and Lindsay went after a suspect--allowing us the chance to see Action Lindsay--which was awesome, the episode didn’t end with Mac and Jo, no one had to play the lab idiot to make another character look good, the science was solid and not just convenient, and I wasn’t expected to turn off my brain. Simply put, this was a solidly written episode.
The next nod goes to director Frederick E.O. Toye. He too is rather inexperienced in the CSI:NY world, however he is a well established director in the realm of television. He has directed plot driven shows like Alias and Chuck, as well as character driven shows like Brothers & Sisters and The Good Wife. That experience helped him effectively move through the two aspects of this episode; the inhumane (the case) and the humane (the characters). He produced a well paced episode that was balanced between shades of dark and light, hard and soft, fast and slow. There were moments of intense emotion intermingled with moments of introspective quiet, and it never felt awkward. A particularly powerful scene shows Garland Clarke (Kevin Interdonato) attacking his victims; it is done as one flawless crime, the victim changing from woman to woman though Clarke stays the same, continuing his assault. These woman loose their identity and collectively become the rape victim; all defined by the same event. It is clear that a lot of time and detail was put into the presentation of this episode. Simply put, this was a solidly directed episode.
A well written and well directed episode will never mean very much if the actors are unable to deliver. Thankfully the caliber of performances was equal to the demands of the production. Lindsay Price’s performance as Kate established a woman whose life had been permanently altered by her rape. She was bitter, afraid, confused, and vulnerable. Price, the actress, didn’t go over the top. While her heartbreak was clear and worn on her sleeve, her desperation was subtle. It was clear that Kate was in pain and needed help, but it was also clear she wasn’t sure how to find that help. I think her character mirrored season 3 Lindsay. “I spent the last year of my life in a daze. I pulled away from friends. I gave up on life,” Kate professes. A description that can be well applied to what we saw Lindsay go through. Is this what prompted Lindsay’s great internal conflict, when just a few seasons earlier she was so sure of her stance on justice? Does she see herself in Kate? Or perhaps it is the experience of being guilty of taking a life, does she see herself as a vigilante? There are a few different options that would motivate Lindsay to see things differently or to at least feel prompted to examine her own feelings. She is confronted again and again with the idea that she doesn’t care enough about victims. We are left to speculate at her change in attitude, left to wonder why her internal struggle suggests a need to find balance between her heart and her head. Ultimately though Lindsay stays true to the character shown in season 4, telling Kate, “I know you’re going through a lot Kate, but eventually you’re going to see that what they did didn’t help you. What they did was wrong.” However, in a moment of growth, she hands her card to Kate offering a willing ear, showing her willingness to accept her need to change and allow more compassion in her job.
This was a beautiful episode that was made for Anna Belknap. She portrayed Lindsay’s internal conflict brilliantly; allowing moments of critical self analysis to be communicated with no more than an expression. An established character flaw of Lindsay’s is that she can be too aggressive, too unforgiving. She was forced to face the consequences of being that way and Belknap could not have presented it better. While the dialogue provided some insight into what Lindsay was struggling with, it was Belknap’s delivery that truly offered substance. For example, Lindsay subtly shrinking away from Kate as she is accused of being cold and unfeeling, her defensive tone as she spoke with Hawkes clearly showed a woman who was struggling with her own feelings, or the moment of slight hesitation just before she offers Kate her card were nuances that served to strengthen her performance. I hope the writers are smart enough to recognize that both Anna and Lindsay are more than capable of caring an episode and thus allowed more opportunities to shine. Simply put...well you get the idea.
Two issues in the episode--issues, not flaws--were 1) the vast similarities with Commuted Sentences and 2) the neglect of allowing Lindsay and Danny to interact. I really struggle when a show retells a story. It is usually a let down, and is left open for a wide range of criticism. But this episode took a great story idea and didn’t simply regurgitate it, but added to it and built on it. Silber took a gamble and the gamble paid off. With Danny and Lindsay, having spent season after season watching those two characters struggle with communication and a willingness to allow each other into their respective lives, I was disappointed to see the show miss an opportunity to really show how they have grown in that regard. Neither of those things change the fact that this is the best episode of the season. Simply put, 5 stars...um...I mean m&ms.
Highlight of the episode: The final scene between Lindsay and Kate as Lindsay is finally able to accept who she is, while taking the first steps in making herself better.
Guilty pleasure: Lindsay taking down that woman by her hair. Was I the only one who thought, ‘Damn Girl!’?
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