"Badge" Quotes

Well, since the USA Network evidently has no clue as to what the words "consecutive" or "uninterrupted" mean, there will be no new episode of Law & Order CI to watch this evening, which means an extra week of waiting for another peek at my Bobby. Instead, USA will be airing a "House" marathon. That retching sound you just heard was me; I'd rather stick needles in my eye than watch that show. So, if I can't have a new LOCI, I'll just console myself with "rehashing" a tried and true episode from Season 1.

This is another one of my favorite episodes from that season. In fact, I’d say that “Badge” ranks in my top five from the inaugural season of Law & Order CI. I mean, I hate the gruesome storyline in that an entire family…including two children…is annihilated by a bunch of greedy, dirty cops, but I love the way Bobby and Eames go about solving the case.

Gee…for a “favorite” episode, I find that I'm more than ten minutes in and haven’t had a thing to say about it. That’s got to be some sort of record, huh? I guess I'll go back to the beginning when the black cop is bringing Bobby "up to speed" on the murder. They go downstairs to the kitchen, which I thought was an unusual floor plan for the house, but that's just me. Bobby goes through all his normal machinations...well they've become "normal" to me now...bending down, almost standing on his head to look at the carpet. Then he stands up and tells the CSU photographer that he wants all kinds of pictures of the carpet. Take a look at the expression on the black cop's face as he looks at Bobby...like he can't believe what he's seeing. (Those pictures can be found in the "Extras" posts from a couple of days ago.)

You can tell that this murder is particularly "disturbing" for the detectives because it involves two children. Eames seems a little more subdued...restrained...than her normal demeanor when scoping out a crime scene.

Ah, you gotta love Deakins; as always he's worried about how the "brass" perceives the murders and how quickly his squad will solve them. In this instance, it was the the mayor, a budget crunch, and worries over a potential scandal surrounding one of the murder victims...who just happened to have been an accountant in the mayor's office. Poor Deakins, he often found himself between a rock and a hard place.

Leave it to Bobby to instantly point out that men who kill their wives "usually" only kill their kids if there is no one else to care for them. And, sometimes, I have to wonder if Bobby ever grows weary with scouring through the mountain of minutia he often tackles when endeavoring to solve a case. For instance, the marks on the carpet left by the vacuum. I mean, how long did it take him to mark up those white boards while scrutinizing the pile of photos? He's a marvel. I would say he's "one of a kind," but Nichols has displayed some of the same characteristics early on, so he may give Bobby a run for his money, but Bobby will still come out on top in my book.

And now we arrive at the point of our story when Bobby "reenacts" the wife's murder. But first, he has to remove his coat and tie. Call me crazy, but I do love to watch this man engage in these little perfunctory tasks. I found it peculiar that Bobby swung the bat with his right hand instead of his left...unless, of course, the perp had been a rightie. It's been a while, but I could give him a couple of pointers on his batting stance and how to "choke-up" on the bat. And is it blood "spatter" or "splatter?" Bobby uses both terms in this scene, but it doesn't matter; the pattern of the blood on the shirt is how they determine that their perp/perps had to be someone with a basic knowledge of forensics and police procedure...cops.

"Badge" Slideshow - Part I


In typical fashion, Deakins is reluctant to believe that cops could have perpetrated this crime. Like what…cops don’t do bad things, it's not possible that a cop can be corrupt? Have you seen "Serpico?" I believe this is the first LOCI episode to highlight a dirty cop. Unfortunately, it won’t be the last. One, in fact, will be the the undoing of Deakins. And a couple more are the reason Bobby ends up with a dead “rat” in his desk drawer at the end of "Purgatory." (I still think we haven’t seen the end of that one.) Practical logic does win out over blind skepticism, however, and Deakins gives them his blessing to investigate the possibility that cops were involved in the murders.

I’ve noticed sometimes when Bobby is sitting, he tends to “bounce” his leg like he has nervous jitters. The camera doesn’t actually show the leg, (until last week's episode of "Faithfully") but you can tell something's going on "down there" because you can see Bobby’s upper body “shaking.” I catch myself doing the same thing sometimes, especially when I’m stuck in a boring meeting and have work waiting for me. It looks cuter when Bobby does it.

We learn something new about Eames...more specifically...her father in that he got in trouble for working for the city after he retired from the police force. Evidently, it's a no-no to draw a pension and a salary at the same time from the City of New York.

You know, I rarely feel sorry for the criminals of this show or any show for that matter, but I have to say that no one can humiliate or debase a potential suspect more completely than the crack tag-team of Goren and Eames. I'm talking about the scene when their investigation leads them to the home of Phil, the ex-cop, who is on his way into his home following a trip to the grocery store. The ever "helpful" Bobby is carrying a bag of groceries for Phil when he starts to "snoop" (as only my Bobby can) and comes up wondering how Phil can afford prime rib, lobster and a $50 bottle of wine on his "curtailed" income. When all the suppositioning ends, and Phil has been suitably humiliated by the questioning, he tells them to take their "Mutt and Jeff" act off his property. My question is: "Is Bobby Mutt or Jeff?"

"Badge" Slideshow - Part II


They use the same "Mutt and Jeff" double-team technique when talking to the guy who sold Phil his boat. They're trying to figure out how Phil paid for it and are trying to catch the guy off guard...which they eventually do. I think it's funny how Bobby keeps using the salesman's name…Mel. He does that sometimes…no doubt…to intimidate people.

As usual, the clues they find in one scene, lead them to the next; i.e., the questioning of the hapless Phil in the 1PP interrogation room. During the interrogation, Bobby tells Phil that everything in his file says “worker bee,” the implication being that Phil might be capable of committing the murders...just not orchestrating them. Well, Bobby, even though I tell all my co-workers that I am the "Queen" and Mike even "curtsies" when he comes into my office, I consider myself to be a most efficient and loyal "worker bee." I prefer it that way, in fact; I have no desire to be the one calling the shots. Besides, the world needs worker bees.

During the course of the interrogation, Bobby tells Phil that he’s looking at the death penalty, but I guess the Empire State must have repealed that law somewhere along the line because, in later seasons, the death penalty is no longer an option for Carver. As I recall, they were still considering it in Season 4 in "Want" because Carver wanted to use it against the perp (Neil Patrick Harris) in that one. Oh, well. The normal, obsessive thing for me to do would be to "Google" that fact, but I'm not feeling overly obsessive today.

I loved Bobby's reaction after Phil kills himself en route back to his holding cell. After the cop explains how Phil managed to get his gun and "off" himself, Bobby walks over, looks down at the body and just throws his arms up in the air as if to say...WTF.

Once again, Eames gets the good or “clever” line about the erstwhile cops they're investigating making a conscious decision to be the "best bad cops they could be."

When Bobby and Eames are going through the files, looking for potential suspects, Bobby “assumes” that “Terry” is a guy. Eames, however, takes great delight in informing him that Terry is a woman and says, “Funny how that detail escaped your powers of observation." (And she’s right because Bobby may be a lot of things, but he doesn’t come across as being a chauvinist. I mean, he noticed the discrepancy in the direction of vacuum marks on the carpet for Christ's sake. Now that's paying attention to detail.) Did you notice Bobby’s little smile at his own short sightedness? He’s such a handsome boy.

"Badge" Slideshow - Part III


It was nice to see Lt. Van Buren from the “mother ship” of the Law & Order franchise make a cameo appearance on LOCI. As a matter of fact, I wish they would have done a few more crossovers among the three shows. I’ve always enjoyed S. Epatha Merkerson in that role. I always get a “particular” mental image of Bobby when he suggests to Eames that they go “mark-up” Terry’s territory, and that’s all I’m going to say about that.

But that line does lead into a somewhat confusing, albeit enjoyable, scene for me...the school yard. I mean, I “get” that they’re “playing” Randolph by doing the quintessential “Good Cop, Bad Cop” thing, but I have never quite understood why Bobby adopted the fake Brooklyn (I "assume" it was a Brooklyn accent. Notice how Bobby purloins the kid's cigarettes before he sends him packing? Perhaps Vincent D’Onofrio needed a nicotine fix.

You know, sometimes I wish LOCI came with a cheat sheet or Cliff Notes, so I could fully understand if Eames and Bobby are on the same page. You know, that she is fully on board with his “shenanigans" because Eames looks a little annoyed at Bobby when he snaps to attention and calls Randolph, “Cluster Sergeant,” and I would like to know if that was her knee jerk reaction to the attitude he had copped, or was it part of their "game?" It would just be nice to know for sure.

"Badge" Slideshow - Part IV


How enterprising of Eames to anticipate the precise form Deakins would need to sign to requisition the information on the batches of leuco. The man didn't have to think. She ripped that form out of the typewriter...which in itself is an oddity in this day and age of computerized forms...and all Deakins had to do was sign his name.

Didn’t you just want to smack Arliss, the CSU guy, up the side of the head for his snarky attitude when Bobby and Eames are questioning him about the leuco? I guess...after all this time...it still amazes me that Bobby can pick up on the smallest detail of a crime scene and it ends up leading, albeit sometimes in a circuitous route, to the killer. Like the vacuum lines on the carpet and the leuco not being listed on a crime scene report. Most people don’t pay attention to things, but not Bobby…he notices everything.

Ah, and we learn the name of another of Bobby’s "numerous"…no doubt…conquests over the years. This one is the Chief of Detectives’ assistant, Denise, and Bobby can “vouch” for her. Anyone besides me wonder exactly what that means? (Silly question, huh?) Eames calls him a “dog.” Perhaps the fact that Bobby was...apparently... hitting the Chief of D’s assistant may explain why the guy seems to have it in for Bobby in Season 7.

I found it amusing that Bobby and Carver seem to be switching job descriptions when they’re discussing how they can bring Randolph to justice. Carver keeps suggesting people they can bring in for questioning and Bobby keeps offering up reasons why it won’t work. I thought it was funny that Bobby was the one “pooh-poohing” Carver’s recommendations for a change, and Carver compliments Bobby for his efforts by telling him...with a smile...that he’d make a hell of a defense attorney.

"Badge" Slideshow - Part V


My favorite scene in this episode is when Goren and Eames execute a search warrant at Terry Randolph’s home. Bobby is back to using the fake accent and acting like an arrogant hard ass, but Randolph gives us some good insight into Bobby’s character by doing a mini-profile of her own. I am particularly fond of Randolph’s retort to Bobby when he says he’s just asked an “innocent” question, and she comes back with, “There’s nothing innocent about that baby face." Yeah, I like that a lot, and she is so right. Actually, Bobby appears to be momentarily put off by just how accurate Randolph is in her assessment of him, but he quickly rebounds.

Finally, we arrive at the "gotcha" scene and all I can say is: My, my how computers have changed in just a few short years. How many of those heavy, bulky, cumbersome monitors did I go through before the advent of the flat screen and/or the laptop? I cannot even begin to imagine what they’ll be like a few years from now.

Bobby and Eames nab Randolph with a computerized siren and handcuffs for her “virtual” arrest. Bobby is so clever. Not that he could have programmed it because we all know that computers are not his “strong” suit...that's Eames' forte. But I bet he had a hand in it. Did you notice how long it took Eames to "cuff" Randolph, what with all the cop paraphernalia she had to remove? I'm with Bobby on this one; how could this woman, who so obviously loved her two little girls, ruthlessly kill two innocent children? I guess that's why we call them criminals.

"Badge" Slideshow - Part VI


Well, that brings me to the end of another "lengthy" look back at Season 1...where it all began. In the next week or so, I'll be recapping "Faith."