'http://notesfromnancy.blogspot.com
Blogarama
Ever thought you lived in a land of fantasy? Det. Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise) and his team face situations like that every day. Since the cases usually involve a dead person, they rely on homicide detectives Don Flack (Eddie Cahill) and Jessica Angell (Emanuelle Vaugier) for an assist.
After a hotel owner is found buried under an ice castle, Det. Lindsay Monroe (Anna Belknap) finds the scene compromised by the presence of a snow machine. Suffice it to say any prints keep blowing away. However, there is no shortage of suspects considering the victim is Fiona Chisolm (Hannah Sussman NYPD Blue). Employees didn't like her, and neither did most of the public.
Only when liquid nitrogen tanks, used to create artificial snow, are examined closely does the solution come. Felix (Robert Cicchini Six Feet Under, 24), a chestnut cart operator, was angry since Fiona wanted to take away his license. Confronting her led to a physical altercation. She landed on the tank with a heay degree of force. The tank's nozzle embedded in her chest and froze her heart.
When Det. Stella Bonasera (Melina Kanakaredes) and Flack arrest Felix, he denies having killed Fiona. True. However, he learns a bigger lesson about the aftermath of revenge than the one he was trying to teach his victim. In the end, Fiona leaves her hotel to her employees and her dog, Otto, comes home to his new loving family. Hmmm..... sounds familiar.
Mac has the most interesting case of the day. A woman wearing only a nightgown is crushed between a bus and a taxi. Along for the ride is Det. Danny Messer (Carmine Giovinazzo), still reeling from the death of his young neighbor ("Child's Play).
Angell tries comforting him by saying anyone would take the death of a child hard. She has no idea what the full story is, so Danny makes sure she understands this was a ten year old boy with a name and a face.
"Wendy" written on blue paint across the victim's chest is the first sign of an unusual case. Dr. Sid Hammerback (Robert Joy) tells Mac cause of death is a weapon not unlike a hook. Are you getting the references yet?
Adam Ross (AJ Buckley) helps the case along when his testing shows traces of a hallucinogenic called 'Foxy". Think LSD on a very bad trip indeed. Mac and Danny get another piece of the puzzle when they visit a mortgage firm where the victim's brother works.
Leslie Wright (Leah Rachel) died in part from the aftereffects of Foxy. When she was sufficently 'out of it', Tyler Bennett (Kevin G. Schmidt Clubhouse) took unfair advantage. She realized what was going on, and threatened to tell. Tyler killed her to prevent it.
This was a fun episode! Two different cases, but both with fairy tale shoutouts. My favorite line? When Sid told Mac, "Maybe you're looking for Captain Hook?", The unmistakable wince on Mac's face was classic Sinise. Although I have a hard time emotionally when Mac goes into strident mode (I know, job requirement sometimes, still), it's nice to see his human side.
Once again, Carmine showed off his acting chops. While not responsible for Ruben's death, his grief is palpable. Danny is smart enough not to do anything rash, but his colleagues are keeping an eye on him. Kudos to the writers for having Danny team with Mac on the next case he handled.
