Jeffries Gets the 'Cold' Truth! Plus 'Housewives,' TV Pilot Process and TV on DVD Monday!

Last night's episode of Cold Case was just shy of excellent. It had everything going for it, and yet, it stumbled into a huge plot hole that kept it from really shining like it deserved. I mean, they actually executed an innocent man! I was shocked, disturbed, moved and a million other emotions, but the gaping plot hole that engulfed the episode took away from all of that moving material. How could the three letters D-N-A never have come up last night?? This girl was RAPED and murdered in 1994. A quick search at wikipedia.com, finds that the first person to be convicted based on DNA evidence was back in 1988. Even worse, DNA evidence became widely known in 1994, the same year of this case, because of the O.J. Simpson trial. So, there would have been DNA testing to convict/exonerate Tibbs back in 1994 for sure, and even if that hadn't been the case, there is certainly DNA testing in present day. Why even bother with the whole rape angle of the story if they weren't going to use DNA evidence? I get that maybe there wasn't any, or the dirty cop got rid of it or something, but for the love of Lilly, could they not have written a quick line in there to let us know? This both puzzled and bugged me the entire hour. Anyway, enough with the negative aspect of the episode and on with the positives, and there were many. First of all, I'm very thankful for that humorous air conditioning side story last night. The entire hour was so heavy that it was nice to have some humor infused into it. I loved Vera's idea to hit the thermostat, and then swear he could feel a little bit of cool air coming in. Lilly using Jeffries' messages to fan herself was great as well. I could feel their pain, and it's so miserable to be uncomfortable temperature-wise at work. Did anyone else notice that the opening song was missing from the episode last night? This is the first time in the show's history. I'm guessing it was a time issue, as both Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy have been known to skip the opening song for the sake of more time.


I really enjoyed getting a Jeffries- heavy episode. We got to see an angrier side to him that was a departure from his usual calm, even demeanor. When he thought, as we all did, that Tibbs raped and murdered Kate in 1994, he despised everything about Tibbs, and he never doubted that he was guilty. Then when he looked him in his eyes at his execution, he knew that the wrong man was dying for the crime, and his anger toward Tibbs changed into anger toward the DA's office and the system that failed him. Whoever that Kite-look alike A.D.A was, I'm glad he got fired, but I was even happier when Jeffries decked him! Can you believe he did that? It was awesome because that guy had it coming. I also loved Stillman's comment to the A.D.A that he needed to leave his office before he drop kicked him. It was such a "how you like them apples" moment. It seemed that both Stillman and Jeffries got reprimanded at the end, though, so I hope they're not in too much trouble. That execution scene was really painful, especially after we found out what really happened the night of Kate's death. I still wasn't 100% certain if Tibbs was guilty or not, but I was on the edge of my seat as the minutes ticked away. I thought for sure that Lilly or Stillman would call in at the last second with a stay of execution, and I never really thought that they would execute him. It was so sad when he asked Jeffries to prove him innocent. And it was somewhat vindicating that Jeffries was able to do just that, even if it was after his death. Since the only other suspects were Kate's father and Wayne, Tibbs' boss at the moving company, I figured it had to be Wayne, but I didn't know why. This guy was really sick! Tibbs' short relationship with Kate couldn't have been sweeter. They bonded over her mother's battle with alcohol and Tibbs' personal struggle and his recovery from it. Wayne's, on the other hand, was sick. He saw Kate as his daughter Faith and he raped her the way he always raped Faith before she ran away. It's sad to think that Tibbs' innocent relationship with her took the fall for Wayne's sinister one. We've had several episodes in a row lately with Lilly's special brand of interrogation, and I'll reiterate that, to borrow from the popular song, nobody does it better. She treated Wayne like the scum that he is, and yet, she was still able to get under his skin by bringing up his daughter and the ruined relationship he has with her. I loved when he said that he didn't like what she was implying about his relationship with his daughter and she said that she didn't like it either, "In fact, it makes me sick." Lilly really got angry in that interrogation! It was classic Lilly, and it reminded me of her interrogation back in season one with that creepy child welfare worker who was molesting the little girls that he was suppose to be protecting. She got really mad in that interrogation as well. Overall, a very moving episode that would have been near the top of my list for the season if that DNA plot hole hadn't plagued me the entire hour.


Desperate Housewives returned last night after a week off, and it seems that Gaby and Carlos get to keep baby Lilly - for now. I knew going into this that Gaby would pawn that baby off on anyone who would take her, but I didn't expect her to come around as quickly as she did. I guess realizing that you left a newborn home alone while you went out to lunch with a friend will do that to even the least maternal person. Meanwhile, Lynette was getting a huge lesson in what to do when your 7-year old does something inappropriate. I loved how she tried explaining the birds and the bees in an age appropriate manner, but wound up buying Parker a puppy in order to refocus his obsession. And then there was Bree and her struggle with Andrew. It seems that she has won this round, but I'm not so sure the competition is over yet. Her plan to use Andrew's sexuality against him with his grandparents fit perfectly with his plan early on to use it against her. Did anyone other than Susan think that Karl had changed? I mean, a leopard can't change his spots, especially overnight. Now, Susan is once again playing the fool and she'll have to face the wrath of Edie. If she had only listened to Kyle MacLachian! I will reiterate that Susan and Mike need to sit down, put their pride aside, and have a serious discussion. They're both pining away for each other, but pretending like they're not. I swear, Susan has the most complicated love-life ever!

About Last Night...CBS won the first hour of the night with Cold Case, followed by ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and NBC's The West Wing. At 9, ABC landed the top spot with Desperate Housewives, followed by NBC's Law & Order: CI and the CBS movie. The final hour of the night went to ABC's premiere of What About Brian, followed by NBC's Crossing Jordan and the CBS movie. For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.

~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - Transferred to the psych ward, Michael tries to clear Haywire's head and jog his memory of the missing piece of the blueprint tattoo on Fox's Prison Break. NBC airs another edition of Deal or No Deal.

@9 p.m. - Andy and Jake witness a car crash and save the life of the intoxicated driver, then disagree over whether they should report him to the police and Amy and Hannah drive a deeper wedge in their friendship on the WB's Everwood. Over on Fox, Jack, Audrey and Secretary of Defense reunite for a pivotal meeting on 24. NBC begins its 5-night run of Celebrity Cooking Showdown.

@10 p.m. - NBC's Medium returns, and tonight Allison's dreams about several young women prior to their murder puts her hot on the trail of a serial killer, and in a race against time to save his future victims. ABC's What About Brian moves to its usual night.



QUICK CUTS

*Ever wonder how a TV series goes from an idea to a pilot to a full series? And just how do those network executives decide which pilots they want to order for their fall schedules and which shows should be scheduled when? You can click on over to Yahoo! TV News to get some interesting insight into the pilot season. With network schedule setting just a month away and many fans waiting on pins and needles to find out if their favorites will make the cut, the article offers tremendous insight into the painful process. This season alone, there are almost 100 new comedies and dramas vying for spots on the ever-shrinking network schedules. According to the article, CBS is seeking comedies, ABC may split up its successful Sunday night one-two punch of Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy (one of the two may move to another night to spread the wealth), Fox has a challenge ahead when it comes to filling soon-to-be vacant slots on Thursday and Friday nights and NBC is the most in need of new shows, but will more than likely pick up the fewest. For more interesting insight and details, click on over to Yahoo! TV News.

*And finally, it's TV on DVD Monday! Look for the fourth season of Doogie Howser, M.D. to hit shelves tomorrow along with Remington Steele (season 3) and The Sentinel (season 1). For a full list of tomorrow's releases, visit tvshowsondvd.com.

You may have noticed that things are looking a little different around here today. That's because Pass the Remote has new digs to go along with its new companion site. That's right, PassTheRemote.net is now up and running! The most exciting part is, you now have an easier, shorter web address that takes you to PassTheRemote.net and gives you instant access to Pass the Remote daily blog!

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for thoughts on Everwood and the return (finally!) of Medium. Plus, all the latest television news!

To read more of today's television headlines and listings, and to get a complete archive with the best of Pass the Remote and a photo gallery, click on over to PassTheRemote.net.

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