Quoting The "Enemy Within"

I know I say this on a regular basis, but this really wasn't an episode that I particularly enjoyed. Not sure why. I didn’t like the paranoid old geezer one little bit, so I guess I really didn’t care that someone did him in. There were no redeeming qualities in any of the characters…none that I could find anyway. Well, except for Bobby. I wouldn’t mind...ahem...redeeming some of his qualities, but I digress.

As always, there was an abundance of great Bobby moments in this one, and Eames had her fair share of memorable, acerbic lines. My first Bobby line of note was the, "We're all working stiffs here," comment when they were interviewing Rick at his home. Perhaps that provided a little insight as to how Bobby perceives himself…maybe.

And we get to meet Irene…the first of several references to former girlfriends from his past that will follow in subsequent episodes. She calls him “Goren.” I find that singularly odd in a former girlfriend, but then if he broke her heart, he’s lucky she didn’t call him a son of a bitch…or worse. Not sure how to take the, “You’re making money,” comment; i.e., was Bobby envious or merely stating a fact. Or perhaps making money was important to Irene and that is why Bobby knew it would never work between them. While I’m sure he earns a decent living, Bobby's not gonna get rich on a cop’s salary…unless he turns corrupt…and that is not in Bobby’s nature. (Listen to me…talkin’ about the guy like he’s a real person, but that’s the effect this character has on me.)

There was a time when Bobby evidently knew how to relax and have fun; i.e., the poker game reference. I can just see him with his poker buddies, tossing down a cold beer and puffing on a big ol' smelly cigar. That’s what regular...dare I say "Joe Six Packs" do, you know. And while I think Bobby does try to be a "regular guy," he’s just so far above everyone else intellectually, and it's hard for people like that to "fit in” sometimes.

Poor baby, he sounded so disappointed when Irene mentioned that she and Carlos were saving up for a house. “You’re breaking my heart,” he said. (And I wanted to be the one to break his heart.) Irene’s candid, “You blew your chance,” has Bobby fans around the world wondering exactly what he did to screw-up things with this woman. Not that I truly care; single Bobby is wayyyyyy more appealing, engaging than “attached” Bobby.

I like the scene when he takes the cab from the guy they want to question and arbitrarily gives it to the woman who was standing there “first.”

And Eames was at her feisty best when she told the Wall Street guy how things could go down if he didn’t cooperate. Bobby just smiled coyly throughout her aria.

First Slideshow - Part I


Our Bobby…always one step ahead of everybody...including his boss. For example, when Deakins tells them not to waste their time hitting the AA meetings to try and find information because they won’t find out "squat" that way, and Bobby tells him, "That’s why we’re hitting the coffee shops near the meetings." He’s so smart. Eames' "duh" reaction was priceless, too.

Actually, Eames had a lot of good lines in this one. Another particularly good one was when the waitress in the coffee shop commented that she had not seen the one guy for a while and had anything happened to him, Eames quips, “Job burnout.” And she does it with such a blase, deadpan expression...she makes a great straight-man.

Oh, Bobby, Bobby…how he does keep checking out the waitress’s butt in that same scene. I repeat, the man's a real horn dog.

I did enjoy "basketball Bobby" when he and Eames go to arrest Edward outside the AA meeting. Bobby grabs the coffee cup from his hands and tosses it across the sidewalk into the trash can…nothing but net…for two points.

An editorial comment: I guess the wardrobe budget was a little on the lean side for Eames this epi; the brown-T and the gray jacket is about all she wore in this one.

Bobby was at his glorious best in the interrogation room in this episode. I just marvel at the wonderful, whimsical way he has of totally demoralizing people and sucking away any semblance of their self-esteem. (He could have been my former boss.) Sometimes, I almost feel sorry for the perps for the utterly relentless way he goes at them...picking them apart.

Okay, this is one of those episodes that I’ve watched over and over and never quite understood the “why” of the “who done it?” I don’t think Edward meant to kill his dad…is that right? Only scare him out of the penthouse, so he could sell the building? The maid unfortunately got caught in the middle. And Kit wanted him dead because he was changing the pre-nup? Is that the motive? (My head hurts from trying to unravel it all.) Not sure how/why the male nurse orchestrated it all…just because the old coot didn’t give him a recommendation for his kids for the prep school. “What a world, what a world?”

The whole psychologically, morally, physically, materially “dead” banter between Goren and Carver reminded me of the Barrister in the "Wizard of Oz" when he tells the Mayor that the Wicked Old Witch must be examined to legally verify that she is morally, ethically, spiritually, physically, positively, absolutely, undeniably and reliably DEAD. To which the coroner replies that she’s not only merely dead, she’s really most sincerely dead. (Ah…a "Wizard of Oz" moment. Sorry.) By the by, that is precisely how I feel about the Nicole Wallace character's purported demise in "Frame." I want to know that the evil she-witch is undeniably and reliably dead!

Second Slideshow - Part II


I love how Bobby is not intimidated by Carver. On the street, when the three of them are discussing the case and Bobby isn't so sure that Edward did this on his own, Carver says to him in a haughty tone, "Detective, the facts here speak for themselves." To which, Bobby replies, "The facts are up for grabs, Counselor."

I absolutely adore the "little blue pill" scene. There goes my Bobby...chair-straddling again. I love the way he delivers the line about arthritic, diabetic, 68 year old Harry with the bad…ticker. The pauses and inflections were just perfect; especially when combined with the facial expressions and hand gestures, but then that’s what makes Vincent D’Onofrio such a superb actor...paying attention to all the little details, nuances of a character. He IS Detective Robert Goren.

Actually, for me, this scene is the best thing about this entire episode…well, this one and the one with Irene. The lawyer’s line to Carver about Bobby’s conduct when he starts counting the pills being the most outrageous conduct he’s ever seen…well, he doesn’t know Bobby very well now, does he? This just barely scratches the surface. Bobby was at his luscious intimidating best…counting out the pills (evidently he likes to count as much as he likes to watch) to see just how much sex she and the old geezer were having. I love how closely Bobby watches/studies people for their reactions to things. He’s so very good at what he does.

Third Slideshow - Part III


Did you ever notice how suspects never...ever...heed the advice of their attorneys? Case in point...Edward’s lawyer says, “I’m advising you not to say another word,” and Edward ignores him and immediately answers Goren’s question. I don’t even know why they bother to have lawyers present.

Does it bother anyone else that Bobby can lie so convincingly and immediately; i.e. our investigation has run into a brick wall and we really need some help. He’s such a sly dog, the way he gets the bad guy to spill his guts with very little effort.

Fourth Slideshow - Part IV


I like how Bobby’s chatting with Rick all buddy, buddy-like…telling him he had really done nothing criminal...drawing him in, taking him into his confidence, making Rick believe he was sympathetic to his plight, and letting him believe that he understood why he felt the way he did...just before he lowered the boom and informed him that he was, in fact, guilty of a crime by doing "nothing." "And that, my friend, is manslaughter." To beat it all, the little twerp had the nerve to correct Bobby; i.e., St. Stephan’s not St. Steven’s. I have a sneaking suspicion Bobby new the correct enunciation all the while.

And it all came down to the final derisively spoken, "He owed you the salary he paid ya." Short, sweet, direct and to the point...that's my Bobby. I like that line.

So, if I understand the “motives” of this one, the son wanted Harry dead because he thought the old man was trying to have a new kid and he’d be out of the money, the wife wanted Harry dead because he knew she was cheating on him and she’d be out of the money, and the nurse set it all up because the old man wouldn’t write a letter of reference for his kids to attend some snooty prep school, and they’d never be in the money. What a fun group.

Fifth (and final) Slideshow - Part V


Ah, well..that's all I have for the "Enemy Within." On to the next episode: “The Third Horseman.”