Grade = B-
I thought it was an above average episode, and I liked more elements than I disliked.
One of the things that really stood out for me was the integration of characters and balance of screen time. These days when there is a single case episode involving the entire team, I expect to see some filler scenes and other types of irrelevancies. However, I thought PV did a nice job in this episode of putting the characters together in interesting combinations and giving them a reasonable amount of screen time with relevant contributions.
As others have mentioned, the focus of this case wasn’t so much on the whodunit but more on the evidence and proof. The most interesting aspect to me was how they combined the cold case scenario with the questionable suicide. I thought the conversation between Flack and Stella about the nature and effect of cold cases was very well done. And putting aside the realism factor, gotta admit I thought the French fry foam was rather clever. One thing they could’ve done differently was to better flesh out the stepfather by perhaps interviewing him earlier in the episode before he was revealed as the killer.
The monologues by Marina were an interesting and unusual approach, and a few of them were especially effective, like the one at the end which brought a lump to my throat. However, I think they overused the technique, and there were times when it distracted from the flow of the episode.
Stella’s behavior didn’t really bother me that much – maybe because I had expected far worse based on the available spoilers. The one instance where I thought she was really out of line was in the morgue with Sid – it was wrong for her to take out her anger and frustration on him. However, I didn’t think she was out of line in wanting to investigate further based on her personal knowledge of Marina’s state of mind. Or maybe I’ve watched too many other dramas where suicides were faked and the victim’s mental state was one of the relevant factors.
I’m still neutral on Aubrey and Mac. The writers are doing a good job taking things slow but at the same time, there’s not been enough for me to fairly judge the chemistry. Right now they’re still in that sort of awkward stage, but If they’re going to be a romantic couple, I think a bit more warmth and energy is needed. The time when Aubrey actually projected the most personality was during the bantering with Adam. However, what intrigued me most was the way she looked at the photos on Mac’s wall – made me think there could be some issues associated with her Afghanistan experiences. We’ll see.
Re: the ending, I agree that it seemed too drawn out – maybe they could’ve somehow combined the last two monologues with Marina. However, I did like the scene with Flack following up on his cold case and even liked the scene with Stella finally getting some peaceful rest for herself. As for Mac pulling the blanket over Stella, I didn’t see a problem with it. I’ve done the same for loved ones before and have always thought of it simply as a gesture of care, consideration, and wanting someone to be comfortable. And that’s how I saw it here – no more, no less.
Looking forward to Hawkes' big episode....
I just suggest they do this with... new techs. *hides behind desk*
