{ Numb3rs 216: Protest }

[delga]

This episode was fabulous. I typed this as I watched so it’s taken me double the time to watch it and now I’m going to go and re-watch. But for the Numb3rs fans on my flist who have seen the episode, please don’t just skip this. I really, really want to talk to people about this episode and I really want a full response. What did you think? Like the plot? The characterisation? The filming? Anything upset you? Surprise you? Delight you? I must warn you, though; this post is crazy long and has gratuitous amounts of fangirling in it. I’m seriously hormonal right now so my usual levels of “OMG DON” squee are up about 50% and even worse because this episode had a lot of him in it. On top of that, I loved the episode and the issues it brought up, and even though I don’t normally meta about my shows, this post has a lot of meta in it because I had that much fun with it.

So go: read. Tell me what you think.

Hmm, ominous hands and a bomb. Niiice. Oh, you poor man. You’re about to die. See?

Poor Don. I just feel like even in his own space he can’t be in charge. There’s always someone who knows more. Megan and her profiling, David and his bomb know-how and Colby with his army instinct. Charlie and his math. I hope this is a Colby episode, actually; that would be awesome.

Don is real cute when he introduces Charlie. Excuse me; I’m in a hormonal mood. This post may just be all about my inner fangirl. I love how Don is trying to be kind to the retired agent.

Oh thank god, Colby’s had his hair cut. And hey, new stuff in the house. Ohnoes, I just remembered, one of the blurbs said they learn something about Alan. Oh god. Be kind to our love, please. Oh fuck, he knew Stirling. Why is it wrong to be anti-war, by the way? And is that actually Don and Charlie’s thoughts or are they just responding to the bombing? Wow, I get scared when Alan gets defensive and angry. It’s like ohnoes, Dad’s mad. What? You try and tell me I’m wrong. Psht. OHNOES DON AND ALAN! NO! Don’t break my heart.

OK, yes, the fangirl rules. Because Don cooling off in the garage is so hot. Charlie needs a haircut. Oh wow, Don actually remembers this stuff. Again: why is it wrong to voice protest? HE WAS ARRESTED? God Don, stop being so cute. And now into the crime stuff. LOVE THIS SHOW.

The Three Musketeers of Exposition! This music is hella tense, just saying. And Megan is divine when she starts profiling. “It’s a sociopathic drive.” *geekgasm* Aw, that kid. Please don’t let it be him.

HA, oh dear. Papa Eppes! “Organised radical activities”? This music is rocking. Poor Don!

I love Megan. Wow, they can’t light external sets for shit, can they? It’s a huge contrast between on location and on set filming. I LOVE when Don is sensitive. God, the other guy, too; his barbs annoy me but... there’s always two sides, I guess, and the retired agent is obviously stuck on his side. This reminds me of Munch in SVU and when he argues with Fin or Olivia. Aw, Charlie and the retired agent. HOW MATHEMATICALLY? GOD, EXPLAIN YOURSELF CHARLIE.

Amita’s doing math, aw! Oh Larry. Science vs. politics. Oh, CRAP. So, they’re repeating? Doesn’t anyone else think that someone is trying to frame Stirling? It’s a bit anvilicious. (GUH, DON). In fact guh Colby AND David. No ties! Ever the voice of reason. Oh, don’t start on Don and Papa Eppes. Don’t you even. YOU’RE MAKING THE FANGIRL CRY. And maybe you’re a little bit right, too.

Oh, Charlie, please, please cut your hair. And this blonde girl is sweet. Don’t be rude, Charlie! (“I’m sorry, why are you here?”) She’s trying to help you, god. Just think, you both have fathers.

Wow, hostile much, Alan? Oh, this is making me cry. At least Alan is trying to help. “Donnie.” And this is the point isn’t it: “I don’t have to. I don’t see stuff like that going on today, and I see a lot.” Times are different, the whole issue of who to trust and not to trust is different. We’re no longer the generation of the oppressed, our voices ring a little clearer. Um, ok, watch out for a conclusion which has me ranting about the state of protest and understanding in Britain today. You’ve been warned. “You think you believe that?” “I do believe it.” Do we think this to be a bone of contention between father and son? I really see this as Don and his father clashing, and the hurt on Don’s face makes THE FANGIRL CRY. Where are the tissues?

Ooh, The three Musketeers of Exposition! And yet more antsy music. Wow, I love this episode. And watch the camera work sweep neatly into play as it pans are the three of them. I especially love how subtle the characterisation is. Ever since Sabotage and learning about David’s bomb training, he’s the one who gives all the little details, talking about the concentration of chemicals and what have you. It’s so fucking well done. Heeee! GREEN ALCOHOL. Man, I’m almost sad that I’m not that kind of college student. Colby would have been one hell of a guy to know. (In all truthfulness, I’d probably hate him when he was partying and be mean to him for it. This is a shame because these days, Colby is becoming a much stronger character for me. I adore him). Oh, yeah, nice sync work. David and Colby working through the files together; I love that co-working. It’s so wonderfully choreographed. Seriously, geek out with me for a minute and watch the scene again: watch the camera work, the way it cuts in a large arc one way and then snaps back the other way again, panning around the room; and the characters end up in shot. It’s beautiful. And Megan’s irritation there is palpable. “They were so focused on looking at Stirling, they didn’t bother looking at anyone else.” I think that’s what I’m really impressed about so far in this episode: how they criticise themselves, how they’re aware that the feds aren’t always in the right, they’re aware of the murky past and they’re aiming, always aiming to see both sides of the story. And this is what Don has always been like (I have to say Don here, not because I’m a fangirl, but because he has consistently shown this weighing behaviour. From the pilot when he doesn’t openly begrudge the case being taken out of his hands, to Manhunt when he’s firm with Cooper about placing the witness in protection, about the priorities of his job. Don has always been shown as seeing all sides of things and this season has skewed that a little but has kept up the pace. Megan is irritated at the agents from the seventies because they weren’t even handed and I love that).

I know that scary blonde woman from somewhere. “It’s alright, I’m ready. I’ve been waiting 35 years for you.” She’s a little creepy. OK, this confession doesn’t sound right. OK, hands up – who thinks she’s covering for someone else? Yeah. Oh, she looks sad, too; maybe I’m wrong. And Don’s mild frustration. Sisco? (Sisko?) Oh, don’t let it be the construction worker with the business son. Oh, she’s really sad now. OK, I was wrong. See, all the sides.

Man, this agent is still stuck on Stirling? It’s sad, too, because if (like me) you regularly watch shows like this and you see a character you know go through this it’s heartbreaking. And yet for external characters…I know a lot of people won’t have sympathy for this retired agent (Tom, apparently. Thank god: ‘retired agent’ takes way to long to type) but I do. Because he made this his life and you can’t put all your energy into one road to realise that your life’s work has been all in error. That you made a wrong turn somewhere. That’s just horribly sad. “Have you ever had a hunch? Have you ever known deep in your gut who the bad guy was?” That’s a killer line. And just proves what I said already. What happens when your hunch is wrong?

“You know, Tom, I’ve had a few wrong hunches in my time.” Oh wow, we know and we feel for you. At least, this fangirl feels for you. And again, if Don has had a few and Tom’s career has been that much longer, couldn’t he be wrong too? There’s a lot at stake here. Again, their external lighting is so crap. Hey, how about lending some of those filters outside?

Aw, Amita and Charlie. Network analysis, nice math; a bit tight. Stirling links to the FBI? MOLE. (Amita is very pretty in this scene. What? I’m just saying).

“Yes, Mrs Stirling, I am asking for your help.” Because he is humbled when he is wrong. We’ve seen that in S1. And Don’s sense of justice isn’t something we should let go of lightly, you know; it’s fairly pervasive. He’s a good man. (Which brings me to Cooper again, also essentially a good man but a little rough on the tracks. Do I think Don let him get a way with shit? Yes, I do, because I think Don was much more of a rookie back then. But I also think Don tempered Cooper. Um, end side note). It’s difficult not to talk about Don this week because this is obviously one of his showcase episodes. Not that I’m complaining; it’s been a while. And this is heavy on the FBI, crime side of the show which I also love. But the nuances in characterisations are strongest in Don (and in Charlie) because they’re the ones we’ve seen for longer. I can’t pull Megan back to S1; she wasn’t there and neither was Colby. David was there but he wasn’t the same sort of character. So when you want to talk about evolution of ideas, about continuity of characterisation, you have to look at the Eppes family. And what I have to say next is not because I am a Don fangirl but because it's true. Having been obsessive about my viewing I can see this as the truth: in terms of consistency, Don’s characterisation is the strongest. And this is because his character is very clear. There are layers to him but they aren’t as complicated as Charlie’s. You don’t need to figure out how Don deals with new theories each week because his approach is basically the guy trying to solve the case; with Charlie you have to show that his knowledge of mathematics is vast and so he’s not always so consistent. Megan, Colby, David, Don – all consistent and strong characterisations. So when I spend so much time talking about Don in this episode, it’s because he’s there to see and it’s easy to see how he’s developed. “Well, I’m listening now.” And this woman has his sympathy and he clearly feels bad. It’s a neat touch.

Ooh, Bridge of Exposition. And now we come to the one road I wish they would STOP TAKING. Which is: Helper of the Week = Bad Guy. Stop fucking doing that. It’s a poor plot strategy and it’s lazy writing. God, and this episode is so fucking good, too; why ruin the plot like that? JEEBUS ON A BICYCLE! (tm wliberation).

Wait. WAIT A MINUTE. WHOA. OK, Numb3rs? You KICK my ASS. For real. I never thought it would be an undercover agent! Which is… wow, that’s so fucking clever! I take back the last paragraph! Smart! VERY SMART! Because now you have to wonder how badly the FBI fucked up if they got done over by a man they sent in. How the FBI can’t admit fault because it really was THEIR FAULT. HOLY SHITZU! This is awesome. Easily the best episode of the season.

“Why are you such an ass?” HAHAHAHAHA! And Don finally gets to a point where he lets some of his irritation show. And it’s not even anger, it’s a frustration. That line was cute, yo. (Oh, there’s the fangirl! Wondering where she’d buggered off to). OMG TOM IS SISCO/SISKO! OMG SMART! I didn’t see that coming! Even though it’s fairly obvious! And yay! And if it’s not Sisco/Sisko then who did the actual bombing? Omg, you guys! I WAS DOUBLE FAKED! THEY GOT ME! DOUBLE FAKED! And in comes Don’s frustration and disbelief again.

Ooh, Colby and David. “So what happened to the rest of it?” OH GOD, FORESHADOWING. That’s like the big red button marked “don’t press”, isn’t it? Because lo! ANOTHER BOMB.

Shit. That’s scary.

So…ok, I’m so confused now. Someone else made the bomb? That woman WAS covering for someone? THERE’S STILL SOMEONE OUT THERE? You know it’s the construction worker with the son, right? Because he’s the only character who still hasn’t turned up. OR! It’s Stirling’s daughter. OH SHIT. “Definitely, definitely.” GOD THAT’S SO CUTE.

Ooh, music. Look at these two women facing off. MEGAN IS OUR GIRL. And she is mad. “Mattie was the only one.” Triple faked? TRIPLE FAKED? Don is sweet to Mrs. Stirling. Hee, someone broke something. That’s just RUDE. Again, keep your eye on the camera. Nice panning.

LARRY AND CHARLIE! I nearly forgot you were in this show! And Amita, aw. “You rock!” I love how that was a completely “I was your teacher, I am your friend” statement. I know anti-shippers are going to hate shippers’ response to that line but it’s so not imbued with anything other than “Oh thank god you did that, thanks so much!” And before the crazies jump me, I’m a shipper. SO WATCH YOUR DIRTY MOUTH! I love them on the floor, being all math-y. That final shot has a perfect composition.

Hee! In the wilderness of LA. This scene, again, going to be a bitch to icon because the exterior lighting is FOR SHIT. WAIT A MINUTE. How is there a skull there? How is it a skull already? And not that pristine. Don’t be daft, people, decomp! Don’t you watch CSI?! And do we think that’s Stirling who died trying to get out of town? In which case I HAVE BEEN FAKED TOO MANY TIMES! Which means construction worker with the son. Which is what I said five times already. God, this is tense. Oh, it was burned up.

Yes, it is a copycat. Guh, David, nice top. CONSTRUCTION WORKER! “I believe in this country.” Oh god, it’s his son, isn’t it? Hey Colby? Your sweater is also hot. And CHARLIE IF YOU ARE WEARING A WAISTCOAT I MAY, FOR THE FIRST TIME, FIND YOU OUTRAGEOUSLY GOOD LOOKING OMG YOU ARE! The composition of the boys in this scene is wonderful, even if the filming is boring. “We’re missing a dimension.” Hee, Rubik’s cube! Charlie, you sweetie. And yes, your waistcoat makes you look hot for once. Now all you have to do is get a fucking haircut, dude. I love how everyone turns to look at him, ready for the Math-of-the-Day segment. Even the music switches to it’s Charlie-is-talking-Math chords. Let me turn back to the composition for a moment: this is a boy-heavy scene, clustered into this tiny space. I love the way it feels like they’re working at the weekend, seriously busy. Like, say, David is there first looking through one file and Colby turns up with a box. Charlie wanders in with Don and they start brainstorming, they start piecing the puzzle together. It’s like those scenes in early episodes of CSI when the team would work cases together and bring the audience up to speed on what evidence is available. Like the “Chaos Theory” speech in Chaos Theory, 2x02 (SO MUCH LOVE). I miss that about CSI; they don’t do it so well anymore. And L&O does it but they do it quickly, effortlessly, so that you don’t always notice. Which is good, but my point is that I like seeing it here, like this.

OK, the math. “The offspring of the old network.” Firstly: OHNOES, HIS SON! I TOLD YOU! And secondly: ironically, that includes Don and Charlie, too but we conveniently brush over that.

Man, see Megan get her game face on; there’s this brilliant shot of her and Don from behind when she anticipates trouble and sets her ground; she spreads her legs, getting ready to intercept. Niiiice move. And when she pulls the guy out of the way? Really neatly executed. They work hard on the dynamism of groups in this show. People should pay more attention to that shit. Oh, throwing in the “I’m a Republican” line was FUCKING STUPID. No cookie for that bitch of dialogue. Nice foreshadowing there, with Colby inching in behind; Megan telling people to back off, Don concurring. This team works so well together; everyone is in step. I don’t understand this boy’s motivations, though, and we never really get to explore them which is so much of a shame that I can’t even begin to express it. He becomes one of the reckless youth of today who doesn’t really understand the situation, just yelling out useless clichés. And this is my problem with protesters today: the serious ones are mixed up with the ones that don’t have a clue. OK, the war is wrong – tell me, why is it wrong? Instinctively? People KNOW it’s wrong but no-one really stops to think why. I’m certain that if my peers sat down and considered their responses to the war today, they could really come up with a concrete reason for their responses. Except no-one stops to think anymore. And everyone is so used to hearing about the war that, well, we’re a generation of the apathetic. For the people who came before us, the revolutionaries, for them it was different. It was new, it was time to make a stand. For us it’s a bit same-old, same-old and we need to change that. We need to get our peers thinking about politics, about the world. And not just through pop stars and issues like Live 8: we need to be thinking about these issues on a level where adults are listening to us, too. And the only way to do that is to get our peers to think. You have to start thinking, you have to start debating. Whether you’re for peace or you’re for war, you have to know why you’re taking the position you’re opting for. You have to be motivated about the world you’re living in and you have to know why. We don’t get that from this guy’s kid. We get no explanation for his anger; no explanation for his protest and he becomes someone who doesn’t know; someone who is making a fuss for no reason.

SHIT COLBY! “Blasting gel’s more powerful than dynamite…but it’s a lot more stable too.” Fuck, you sacred me! THAT WAS DON’S FOOT! Jeebus. Oh, do we get resolution now? AN EXPLANATION, PERHAPS?

No. No, we don’t. That was a pointless little scene. God, annoying.

Aw, Don in a bar with Tom. “How many more are alive because of what we do?” And that’s what Don’s argument to Alan is about except he never really gets the chance to articulate it fully because he’s arguing with his father, and that disturbs his equilibrium. And again, the show broadcasts that difference: the Feds are different today (well, that’s the message, at least). It’s a different world, they think about these things differently. They’re disgusted by those earlier actions. Don’s sense of justice is not comfortable with the way Tom did his work because Don doesn’t believe in that sort of endangerment. He also doesn’t understand it, which is the brunt of the point here. It’s a lifetime ago. “We had to stop these people from killing…our job is to protect, by any means possible.” And the question here is: how far is too far? (“At a certain point, I think there’s a cost – there’s got to be.”) But you can’t really judge that, not when you’re in the moment. Hindsight may be twenty-twenty but in the heat of the moment, you need damn good spectacles. AND THE SCRIPT ADDRESSES THIS which is what’s so amazing, as far as I’m concerned. It’s so nicely played out: Don believes there’s always a line. I wonder if we’ll ever have an episode where we deal with Don’s personal lines?

Oh, Charlie and Stirling junior! I like that Charlie makes the move to comfort the girl. That’s sweet. And she invites Alan and Charlie to a memorial service. Wow. OK, let’s get to Alan please. And let’s NOT MAKE THE FANGIRL CRY ANYMORE. Here we go. Tentative reconciliation? (And Charlie on the stairs! Worried! That’s such a sweet and in-character moment; the little boy on the stairs, in a world apart, somewhat. I can imagine him doing the same sort of thing when he was younger, watching this older brother who is a little aloof to him, a little distant). OH GOD I’M CRYING ALREADY.
“When you first told me you wanted to join the FBI, you know what the first thought I had?”
“Where did I go wrong.” (And Don is accusatory and hurt and he wants Alan to love him, because ultimately? He wants his father’s approval. He doesn’t need it but he wants it. I want so bad to have more fic dealing with these two because interaction between them is nicely played out and still so fragile. Everyone picks up on Don and Charlie, and Alan and Charlie but I never see anything about Don and Alan which is such a shame because Don and Charlie is easy to define, and so is Charlie and Alan but Don’s history, his estrangement from his family? That’s complex and interesting and why doesn’t anyone talk about this?)
“Honestly, yes… because I thought you wanted to do something as different from Charlie and the rest of us as possible.” AND MY SUSPICIONS ARE CONFIRMED. Alan is aware of that rift in the family, the one that was only just healing when we say the pilot of the show: he is aware that Don probably wanted to be away from his family life and he sanctioned it (this is what my fic was about; Don’s motivations for leaving and his realisations on his return. And the subtext of his relationship with his father – that Alan understood some of Don’s need to go out into the world and have that time in order to realise his place in his home and in his family - has just been confirmed by canon. FANON > CANON, YO).
OH GOD I’M SERIOUSLY CRYING. “Because I knew it was something I was going to be good at.”
“And you are. No, I mean it!” Oh god, god, god. And he is so fucking grateful to his dad that at first he can’t even look him in the eye.
“And I didn’t have to read the file. Because I knew ultimately that I would respect anything that you or mom were involved with.” STOP IT THERE ARE NO MORE TISSUES! *bawls* THIS SHOW KILLS ME.

“Commie.”
“G-man.”
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Did you see that grin? AND THE LOVE IS BACK IN THE HOUSE!

Oh, I wrote four pages on that episode. The fuck? BUT I LOVE MY SHOW SO MUCH. Ok, I’m going to go watch it again. Please, if you saw the episode talk to me about it!

Comments

*finds first paragraph*

[emily-reich.livejournal.com]

er... yeah :P *blind*

[Error: Irreparable invalid markup ('<iyeh,>') in entry. Owner must fix manually. Raw contents below.]

er... yeah :P *blind*

<iYeh, I saw your post about CM. Don't get that show over here (well, don't get Numb3rs either but that's an aside) so I'll take your word for it. in my experience such cross over isn't so surprising. Happens all the time with CSI and L&O.</i>

A few months ago, there were three shows in one week that had episodes about people dying from tainted food :P I started to wonder if someone was trying to tell me something ;)

Re: *finds first paragraph*

[emily-reich.livejournal.com]

oooh boy it didn't like that code with the >, did it....

yeah, going back to my quiet little corner now.... or something...

Re: *finds first paragraph*

[delgaserasca.livejournal.com]

Heh. Just...hee.