Fan Review by Mari

CAUTION: POSSIBLE SPOILERS!!!

The detectives work a case of kidnapping, and before I get into my commentary, I am wondering if I'm the only one who is wondering if this is a story that might have been the plot of the second season of KIDNAPPED, the crime drama show that NBC axed in 2006??? The reason I wondered is that the director of this episode is Michael Dinner, who directed the KIDNAPPED pilot.

During a power blackout, of which there have been a lot lately in NYC, a young mom and her teen daughter have apparently been abducted, and their maid Isabel has been murdered. The detectives speak to some neighbors, including Marisa Ryan in a fun cameo, and then to the victims' husband and father, Mr. Conlan, played by guest star Tom McCarthy.

Soon, a ransom demand is made, and a botched drop-off attempt leads Cyrus Lupo and some other cops on a very fun to watch whistle-blowing footchase. Their perp ends up in a fatal bike vs. cable accident, and the detectives end up in a nursing home, trying in vain to coax some badly needed information from an Alzheimer's patient. There was something about how the old man interacted with Lupo...it was very interesting, and very few words were spoken.

The search takes them to a pet shop which has been closed down for a while. After failing to get a judge to sign a search warrant, Michael Cutter gives the go-ahead to Green and Lupo to go into the pet store. There, they not only discover the body of the kidnapped mother and the very alive daughter, but a second perp, who lamely tries to deny that he had anything to do with the crime. Dumbass only had a few gallons of blood on his shoes.

The illegal search has Cutter on the line of course, but if not for his actions, Katie Conlan would have been killed too. Still, the attorney for Roy Barkin is ready to have the case thrown out. My favorite lines from his interrogation scene:

Rubirosa: So you were just dumb muscle?

Barkin: You can kiss my dumb muscle!

Cutter: I'm sure you'll have plenty of takers where you're going!

I'm sure many of you already noticed Cutter's habit of "thinking with his bat". It calls to mind Tom Cruise in A FEW GOOD MEN.

In spite of Barkin's refusal to cooperate, the investigation eventually leads to a third party, Marty Dressler (Patrick Stump), who reveals a surprising twist to the case involving Mr. Conlan and his position of influence in the city. Suddenly some greedy corporate asswipes and their greedier lawyers, along with their fat-ass greedy lawyers are sitting across from the representatives of the people. One smarmy little shit says things like, "We own the freakin' company...we can shut it down and turn it into a freakin' jellybean factory of we want to." That actor is good...I wanted to reach into the screen and slap that freakin' smut look off his face LOL!!!

When Conlan is confronted with his role in the travesty that resulted in the death of his wife and near-death of his daughter, he incredibly refuses to say or do anything that might incriminate himself. Katie is incensed and demands that her father tell the truth. Some fans have said that they don't buy Katie's consciencous take on the situation, and that it would have been more believable for her, as a teen, to take a more selfish stance, as in, "You got Mom killed and now you're going to jail and I'm going to a hellish foster home. Thanks a lot, Pops!" Others have no problem believing a teen from an affluent home (with a greedy, money-grasping Daddy to boot) could be built of such solid moral fibre.

Either way, it was a very good episode. I have to say that although Lupo made a very impressive debut in the opener, he was stronger still in this episode. I really enjoyed the scenes with his niece and nephew.

A very suspenseful episode...the only thing is, how did these three twits think they would get away with it?

I'll give it an A or an A+.

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