Whoopi Goldberg plays a narcissistic psychopath who fosters vulnerable kids and turns them into criminals. The CI team of Logan and Barak go after her after a series of break ins turned massacres. The episode has a lot of tension and not a little pathos, especially for one of the foster kids who has a conscience but is still under the thrall of his ruthless "mother." The ending is particular memorable.
It's a compelling set up we've seen before, in everything from Charles Dickens to Ma Barker -- a dark parental figure who uses their influence to corrupt children. For much of the episode, things ring true. So, why not a 10?
Two main reasons:
1) The dialogue starts to come apart, especially in an interrogation scene between Logan and Goldberg's spidery villain. It's meant to show her prowess at getting under people's skins and manipulating them -- and we're led to believe on some level it works with Logan. That's a mistake. Logan is too hard-headed at this point in his life for it to work so easily. He'd know going in what he's up against and play poker just as ably, even if he loses in the end. And the dialogue starts to become babble, as they seem to trade off a list of psychological hang ups one or the other might have. If you want to see a much cleaner and more effective version of the same thing, watch The Silence of the Lambs.
2) Whoopi Goldberg. In some ways, Goldberg is like William Shatner, which is to say, less is more. Both have strong faces and can communicate volumes with just an expression. So, when they overdo it, the performance starts to overpower the scene. In this case, Goldberg's psychopath is supposed to be so careful, she's flown under the radar for years. Never mind the subtext that poor children tend to be forgotten in the system. We're to believe she not only creates a successful criminal empire but also can keep it quiet for years. Yet, Goldberg can't resist the temptation to ham it up at times. This undermines the very last moment where just a knowing smile aimed at Logan is enough. Now, imagine if she'd played it without telegraphing everything throughout the episode -- that last scene of her smiling would have resonated even more.
So, this is a good episode. Perhaps had it been done earlier in the season, it might have been great.
It's a compelling set up we've seen before, in everything from Charles Dickens to Ma Barker -- a dark parental figure who uses their influence to corrupt children. For much of the episode, things ring true. So, why not a 10?
Two main reasons:
1) The dialogue starts to come apart, especially in an interrogation scene between Logan and Goldberg's spidery villain. It's meant to show her prowess at getting under people's skins and manipulating them -- and we're led to believe on some level it works with Logan. That's a mistake. Logan is too hard-headed at this point in his life for it to work so easily. He'd know going in what he's up against and play poker just as ably, even if he loses in the end. And the dialogue starts to become babble, as they seem to trade off a list of psychological hang ups one or the other might have. If you want to see a much cleaner and more effective version of the same thing, watch The Silence of the Lambs.
2) Whoopi Goldberg. In some ways, Goldberg is like William Shatner, which is to say, less is more. Both have strong faces and can communicate volumes with just an expression. So, when they overdo it, the performance starts to overpower the scene. In this case, Goldberg's psychopath is supposed to be so careful, she's flown under the radar for years. Never mind the subtext that poor children tend to be forgotten in the system. We're to believe she not only creates a successful criminal empire but also can keep it quiet for years. Yet, Goldberg can't resist the temptation to ham it up at times. This undermines the very last moment where just a knowing smile aimed at Logan is enough. Now, imagine if she'd played it without telegraphing everything throughout the episode -- that last scene of her smiling would have resonated even more.
So, this is a good episode. Perhaps had it been done earlier in the season, it might have been great.
