Lilly Goes to Amish Country, Counseling Session

When I was just a TV fan in training, we took a family vacation to Hershey Park with a stopover in the Amish Country. I remember being captivated by their way of life and yet, completely confused that these people actually live this way and this wasn't one of those reenactment tourist traps ala Colonial Williamsburg (which, BTW, I secretly love - especially at Christmas!). So, I was a little concerned (and so psyched) about this week's episode of Cold Case. Well, like that childhood family vacation, the story held me captive the entire hour. It was one of those that I: a) didn't want to end and b) wanted to somehow intervene and make Anna's murder not happen. She was one of those awesome characters that you can't help but fall in love with from the moment the episode starts all the way through the closing credits. Jennifer Johnson wrote this outing and she also wrote one of my faves from last season - "The Goodbye Room" (the one with the teenage pregnant girl whose parents sent her away to a home where she would have her baby and they would adopt it out for her). Ms. Johnson has a gift for creating strong, independent, fearless young woman that you can't help but find yourself fully invested in along with their stories. The mere fact that the opening segment of this post is focused on the case when this episode included one of the best Lilly scenes ever is a testament to her writing. As mush as I wanted Anna to be not-murdered, my heart also broke for her killer Jakob. He was so desperate to go back to the world he thought he hated that he killed Anna in a fit of rage over her decision not to go back. And then there was poor Rachel and her lovely introduction to the "English World." No wonder she couldn't get back fast enough! Perhaps the night's most moving moment, though, came at the very end when Anna's little sister "saw" her as she headed out for her own Rumspringa. It was one of those teary-eyed moments that only this show can create.

I'll admit, when I heard that Lilly was attending a counseling session in this episode, I was expecting some deep ridden angst. Now, that's not what we got, but I LOVED this scene. It was frickin' genius!! Truth is, Lil's not going to talk until she's ready. In true Lilly Rush style, she sat in silence for the entire session. Sighing, huffing, redirecting the attention to idle talk about the picture of her therapist's daughter until she finally whipped out the paperwork and requested the signature. Looks like round one goes to Lil, but I'm willing to bet the farm that the therapist gets the better of her in the end. It seemed that she was up for a battle of wills and I don't think that she usually loses. We all know -- hell, Lil knows, she needs to talk about this before it overcomes her, but she's just Not. There. Yet. No problem, it's fun to watch the fireworks in the meantime. How delightful was it to see a nervous side to Lilly? She's always in charge, so when the tables are turned; she's not sure how to react. And I'm not sure it's possible to love Kathryn Morris more, but she was so fabulous in this scene. Her facial expressions -- hell, just the simple shift of her eyes -- told us everything that Lilly was feeling in those awkward, frustrating moments.

Highlight of the night (this was soooo hard to pick with this episode): Vera in Amish Country. I haven't laughed like that in a long time. Plus in the end, he came around and decided that maybe the Amish have it right. No surprise here, but Cold Case moves to a very strong 3-0 on the season.

In Cold Case related news, the lovely Kathryn graces the cover of the back-to-school edition of Canada's Viva magazine. In the 6-page article, the actress discusses how she keeps a healthy balance in her life and why she never shies away from a challenge. "I wouldn't say I'm an adrenalin junkie," she explains to the magazine, "but I definitely feel like every once in awhile, I have to try something that's not necessarily inside the box. For me, it's an important secret to having a happier life and asking a little bit more of myself." And she credits her sunny outlook and happy disposition to a healthy dose of laughter. "I think laughing and hanging out with people where we can act silly is a great way to relieve stress," she tells Viva. "I don't drink, I don't do drugs and never have, but I do like to surround myself with laughter." Morris also addresses Hollywood's unhealthy obsession with weight. "I think a lot of girls in Hollywood get into trouble with the whole eating and depriving thing. It's very unhealthy to get into a funky head space about food because it can screw up your system forever," she explains in the article. "If you don't put a little butter on some warm bread, you're not going to be a happy person."

Thanks to Rabi at Look Again for the scans. You can read the entire article and see all of the pictures at Kathryn Morris Online.