It Kinda Looks Like Christmas...

5 inches of snow on the ground (3 1/2 inches new)
28 degrees

Almost overnight we have been catapulted from late autumn into winter. The town wears winter like a cozy coat and holiday lights are suddenly in evidence.

*~*~*~*~*~*

I thought this was a gripping episode, hearkening back to Seasons One and Two. Although what the mother did *was* horrible, I did like how the question of responsibility was raised. Ignoring (or discounting) the mother's post-partum depression may not have been criminally negligent, but there is no doubt how the detectives (and writers) felt about the issue. I thought the episode treated a highly emotional case with compassion and intelligence.

I also felt that there was less emphasis on Bobby's sometimes off-the-wall deductions and more concrete, plausible detective work in this one. I wasn't left asking myself, "How did he come up with that?"--which gets frustrating after a while. It's nice to be able to follow along and see where Bobby is coming from.

The subtle personal touches were nice, too. Eames--the new mother--was insightful and passionate. And I had to wonder how close the scenario of being left home alone with a psychologically-troubled mother hit Bobby. He showed insight and sensitivity in dealing with the surviving son. Adam's predicament surely seemed to draw some empathy from him. I was reminded of several of the first season's episodes where Bobby first revealed his gentle touch with children--though it also seemed as though Bobby was a bit more--I dunno--"shut in" in this episode--as if the stresses of the last three years have subtly changed him. He just seemed a bit more open and innocent in his interactions with children in the first season.

And even though her crime was horrible, he handled the mother with gentleness. His anger was saved for the father. (It's good to see the old fire and passion in the interrogation room again.)

Although the person Bobby and Alex considered truly guilty of the crime went free, I was also glad to see that the son had a chance of escaping his father's social engineering. Sometimes the guilty aren't punished--and it lends credence to the show when this happens--but the hope of a better future for the son was emotionally satisfying for the viewer.

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