{ Numb3rs 220: Guns & Roses }

[delga]

Heh, cute title. What's with those recently? All's Fair was very cute.

OK, so, I liked the episode. It wasn't my favourite but I managed to watch it without cringing and wanting to throw things at the screen. There was a lot of Don (duh) and Charlie said interesting, clever things, and Amita's hair was so pretty. /shallow. But.

Things that would have made the episode better:

1. Colby. Dude.

2. Charlie getting his hair cut already. /shallow

3. The case being more important than Don.

4. The culprit not being a guy we saw for two minutes in the first act (LAZY WRITING).

5. Robin not being just a plot device. And I *like* her.

Those things aside, the writing for the emotional elements, as ever, was excellent. The family dynamics are the best thing on this show, hands down, and every time Alan and Don had a scene together was pure gold. OK. Now the blow-by-blow (yay 13:30!) Yay for having post-its on hand whilst watching.

Jesus, what a way to start the episode. I'm talking about the make-out session. And yes, please flirt more. You are hopeless, Don, and I love it. /shallow

Don episodes always get me but this is a little off because when it comes to crime shows, I like my crime-busters emotionally detached. Well, no, I lie (Sara Sidle, Danny Taylor, etc etc). I do love that Don always takes a step back, though, and we don't get that in this episode. Megan's friendly affection for Don is great, though, and I like Robin a LOT more than I like Nadine.

Amita! Aw, Amita! This scene between her and Charlie is the first of three/four in the episode that are really good and this scene especially makes her a fully-rounded character because I think it's the first time she and Charlie have had a conversation in the history of the show. It's really well done. And the shipper in me aside, they have a nice friendship and that chemistry (the non-romantic one) is very strong. This is one of the first times Amita didn't feel like a token-female.

Ha, Don left her which sounds about right given his track record (Terry, Kim). Jeebus. Aw, she had cancer. Mommy flashbacks.

I can't stop thinking about the text lead-in. One job. Don wants to keep working. He's lonely, but the job is important to him, too. You all know this is where my fanaticism with him starts, as well as with his gorgeous features. But I love the character, not Rob Morrow so much, and this job-fixation is the reason why. I've talked about this so many times before but his attachment makes and defines his character and is the element that made himso interesting in the pilot. I wish Colby was here. I know that's an odd thing throw in at this particular moment but I'd love it if he were there.

Charlie & acoustic fingerprinting. Oh, fuck off.

Awesome scene number 2. "I look totally different but you look absolutely the same!" I love you, Alan. Another really wonderful heart-to-heart, and I love Alan as Don's father in particular because that interaction is so muchmore level than Alan&Charlie. I just wish the case was stronger. Don's emotions are attempting to carry the episode and somewhat unsuccessfully, too. "See you later, pop." Heh. Aw, Alan looks so sad. Way to go Judd Hirsch. I just want to hug him.

Ach, The Experiment. IT'S INTRINSICALLY DIFFERENT. Different person, different direction, different intent, different time of day, different things in the room. AND DAVID IS USING BLANKS. God. I get the principles behind the experiment, it's just very flawed in the execution. I do like what it leads to though.

Echoes and sonar! Doppler! I so called that. And I so pre-empted you, Eppsie.

Do we think she was a lesbian? Just throwing that one out there. On a shallow note, that ATF guy was cute.

"You guys are talking biology, I'm talking probability." Way to be not irritating, Charlie! Now get your hair cut. But seriously, after this Charlie becomes kosher again.

"Five months, five jobs, one point five million dollars." Speaking as a complete language geek, that is a fucking awesome phrase. This episode is less with the pretty, though; the direction in this front half is dull. (On a side note, all the Megan&David behind-Don's-back lines make me all aglow. Don't ask). Man, the case just got more interesting! I fucking love exposition scenes.

DNA helix! Ooh, are the pretty pictures from this episode? Because Amita's hair was looking damn fine earlier. Larry has a point, by the way. Oh, chalk fight! Hehe. Cute.

Robin is awfully pretty; I really quite like her character, and I like the idea of her character, too, but so far she's fairly hollow in terms of characterisation. Maybe I disliked Nadine for her blondeness. This is entirely shallow and yet entirely plausible with me.

Yes! The three of them together!

I love Amita's hair. And she does this cute head-tilt thing that is just adorable. "It's like some bizarro DNA world." LARRYISM!

I still love Alan. (Scene das awesome, three).

Man, loads of guns. Go for it. I love these action scenes and it's been a while. Hey, d'y'all remember how fabulous the bank scene in Uncertainty Principle? Good times, y'all. Dude, was thata taser?

I thought this wasn't her case! Whatever. She reminds me of Jamie Ross and Abbie Carmichael. (L&O love, yay).

I guess what annoys me about this is how he's not reeling himself in. I know everyone gets to have a case of their own, one that gets to them, but Don is normally so good with this stuff. I wish it wasn't so personal - they'd just drag his ass off the case, dammit. Or maybe it had to be personal because any other time he'd be professional about it. Whatever, this was sad (for me) to see. "I'll lose his paperwork." WHAT THE FUCK? Oh, fuck off.

I doubt she would want him to compromise himself, either. I doubt it because we've never seen it happen, never seen it in him and DAMN YOU DON EPPES YOU ARE NOT REAL. I could like Robin even more if she wasn't just a plot device.

That last guy looks like the ATF guy. Man, called that one.

Bank scene, fuck yes. Sadness with writing, though. A character you see for all of two minutes in the first act turns out to be the culprit with no evidence or no PLOT to track him? Fuck off. No cookie.

Silence in the gun scene was an interesting choice. Don? Is teh smart, though, for that undercarriage trick. Gum = nervous habit. (I rewatched The OG with my sister this week; the other Robin ep, that is).

Aw, family love for Don. Awesome scene number 4.

And finally, Don and Robin. I love that closeness when he steps up and steps in. Also, cute visual metaphor (steps up...) I would be you, Robin, I would be you. Sigh.