Politics As Usual for this 'Case'

NOTE: There's nothing quite like returning home from a great Thanksgiving trip filled with food, fun and family to find a nice soggy basement courtesy of a neighbor's leaky water heater. Needless to say, I intended to have this entry posted much sooner than now. BUT, I'm running very behind so the best I can do at this point is "better late than never."

After far too many months of campaigns, ads, speeches, debates, and mudslinging -- the last thing I wanted to do was sit down and watch an episode centered around politics (with some not so subtle references to the all too recent presidential campaign). But, that is exactly what I was forced to do this week with Cold Case. This episode simply showcased what we all already know and that is why so many people don't get involved in the world of politics: it's a dirty, dirty business and some of its participants find themselves in the hands of some very unsavory characters. I admired Dexter Collins and his determination to run a clean campaign free of aforementioned unsavory characters and their "street money." He was fighting the good fight and losing because the machine was just too big to overtake. When he finally got the upper hand and used those embarrassing photos as leverage to keep Boone from leaking an incident on his juvenile record, one of his own supporters shot him on the street for succumbing to Boone's tremendous power. It seems Warren misunderstood what exactly was going on between Dex and Boone.

While the episode had some strong moments, I felt that it overall missed the mark. I enjoyed Stillman's determination in the face of tremendous political obstacles and I thought that his interrogation with Boone was one of the best of the season thus far. I also enjoyed Scotty and Vera's scene with Frankie. Although, I have to agree with Vera: Scotty's little prank was just wrong. Poor Vera! I'm liking Lilly's secret quest, but it is painfully slow-moving. I might lose interest if they drag this thing out any further. This week, she placed some letters in Paul Cooper's mail box. Question: Why is this Paul character always having some sort of party whenever Lil stops by to play Peeping Tomette? Perhaps, she should try knocking on his door because he seems to have quite the social life. Slow-moving story line aside, this episode just didn't measure up. Perhaps if they hadn't tried so hard to make the all-too-obvious comparisons to a fresh presidential election (and I don't know, stuck to what they do best instead of overtly crossing into the current political scene) or if they had developed Dex the person more than Dex the politician, this episode would have shone a bit brighter for me. I didn't dislike it, but it wasn't as strong as I know the show can be. Call it a tie. CC moves to 9-0-1 on the season.

Screencaps courtesy RichE.