Happy Reunions

I have so much love for this week's episode of In Plain Sight!  It's my pick for best of the season thus far.  Maybe it was the simple fact that Mary and Marshall were working together on the same case at the same time, or maybe, that was just the icing on the cake.  Of course watching them together reminded me once again how we've been cheated this season with them working separately, but I didn't care because I was so excited to have them together again.  I watched most of the episode with my fingers crossed because I kept worrying that Marshall was going to get pulled to that other minor story involving the tip-happy witness that no one wanted to help.  Thankfully, Charlie saved us all by taking an interest in that witness and stumbling upon a shocking discovery.  But the thing that made this episode stand out was the story surrounding the witness-of-the-week.  It was an emotional ride that had me hooked from that first moment outside the library until the warmed-even-Mary's-heart ending.


Walter was most definitely not your typical witness.  He entered the program after seeing a domestic terrorist group drop a bomb in a trash can at a crowded park in Seattle.  He was homeless by choice (one of those "reject the structure of society and conformity of the human race" types), a genius and not so good with his people skills.  Basically, he was Mary minus the "working for the man" government job.  After getting a make-over and a regular job at a chain bookstore (which seemed kinda perfect for the guy who "practically lived in the library" in Seattle) to prove to the prosecutor that the witness would be believable on the stand, Walter had one request.  He rejected the money he was making from his hourly job and wasn't thrilled about the government provided roof over his head and the make-over, but there was something he was lacking: closure from his past.  Walter was adopted and he was never able to track down his birth mother.  He wanted the attorney to use her connections to find his mother.

I was totally with Mary on this idea -- I thought it was a very bad idea.  Thankfully, Mary and I were both wrong.  Things started out not so good as Mary and Marshall learned that Walter's mom was dying from pancreatic cancer.  They raced to get him there in time to meet her, but they were too late.  His mother had died before they got to Modesto, California.  Walter met his mother's fourth husband (guest star James Reed who I adore from his role on the fabulous North and South) and found out that he and his mom had some things in common.  But it was Mary who discovered something in common between Walter and the widower: they were father and son!!  It was the coolest moment when she realized that this man was the father of the baby given up for adoption 32 years ago.  He may have been the fourth husband, but he was also the first love.

The only question that remained was whether or not Walter would be able to have a relationship with his father while staying in WITSEC.  Mary had that covered as well -- after the trial, she had Walter relocated to Modesto where he could see his father on a regular basis.  Touching family moments and a happy ending... what else can you ask for?  Meanwhile, Brandi made the smartest move of her life.  She told her brother no.  Well, technically, she told him that she no longer had the money because she used it to put a down payment down on a store front downtown, but at least she didn't give him the money!  Go Brandi!

In Plain Sight airs Wednesday nights on USA Network. If you missed this episode, check it out for free at Hulu.com.  And for more on the show, visit USANetwork.com.