Without A Trace - TWoP Forums p.105 now, and forward --to p.107 where turns to 19Nov new episode [Doppelgänger, Part 2 What a great episode. Tense, suspenseful, with a good hint of creepiness. I even liked Jack. Loved Sam:"If Malone asked you to jump off a building, would you?" "Yes sir, probably." I've seen that bit in commercials]
-I know people say they want less focus on the personal and more focus on the cases, but that would turn the show into Law & Order. Law & Order is OK, but I don't want Without a Trace to be Law & Order.I totally agree that we tend to dissect every little bit of personal revelation we get. Those touches are what make the show, IMO, so much more interesting. I think the balance they have between the personal and the cases is a good one right now, and they shouldn't mess with it. It gets a little personal-heavy in a couple of episodes every season, but that's fine.
-Being from Wisconsin, it took me a couple of days to get over the randomness of Kenosha. Sam at end, calling mom "How are things in Kenosha?" I've decided that's just where Sam's mom lives now, because, while Poppy does a moderately passable generic American accent (actress is fr Australia), it's not even remotely the accent of someone who grew up in Kenosha.
--It was a really fine two part drama dealing with a subject that you don't usually see on TV shows. I mean my mother works as a nurse's aid and she has a house and savings and does rather well. But many of the people she works with leave their eight hour shift and then report to a second job at KMart or Publix. I don't know how they do it but they have kids and they need the money.
-I love the expressions of the characters. Even the small things like Martin's glance back when Danny said he knew Martin was worried about her. I think the cast does an excellent job, and I think the chemistry between all 5 of them really works.
-The thing that really made this episode for me was the subtle ways everyone is figuring out Martin's feelings for Sam, and the last scene. I loved the way the mom of the little girl seemed so appreciative of Sam, and the way she waved to her before they went for the walk. It reminded me of what the episode was really about, not Sam, not even as much the kids that are caught in the life, but really the hardworking women that get lost in the cracks with no options. Kids are pretty resilient. I would say that if a kid has a loving parent in that situation, they might not be as bad off emotionally as a parent. The parent knows what they can or cannot provide for their child, and they will have guilt and all kinds of sorrow about it. So I was touched by the episode and message they seemed to be trying to bring across.