{ "Declared a fugitive in 1997. I guess that qualifies as travelling." }

[delga]

So, you know how in In The Wee Small Hours Pt2 we find out that Eames applied for a new partner some time in season 1? I reckon that has to be some time around the pilot. I know characters tend to be noticeably different in pilot episodes and the early part of the first season, but Goren is a bit of an ass in the pilot. Except if we take the pilot as being one of the first handful of cases he and Eames have worked together, his asshattery has a basis in his natural defensive position. I mean, he's an ass to Bishop, too, when she turns up (although that's slightly more satisfying for the Eames-lover, because you have him comparing Bishop to Eames. "See what you miss, not working Vice?" &c. &c.)

But in the pilot, he and Eames don't shadow one another. There's less mutual support going on. They cohere as the plot advances, sure, but Goren keeps details, observations to himself. From the get-go Goren makes that outlandish promise to the parents of the dead college girl that he's going to get the perp. He's so much louder, less charming than he later becomes. Eames is sceptical. "It's a nice idea, but how can you promise something like that?" Later, the Captain as to calm Goren down, and he takes time to pat Alex on the back. On the one hand this was a line to tell the audience Eames' first name. On the other, he's sensing some strain. Deakins wants Goren to cover all the bases; Eames looks pretty tired in that scene. I figure Deakins knows Goren, and thus has been the guy who's had to bounce him from partner to partner. If Eames has already handed in that form, he's trying to get her to hang on in there. If she hasn't, he's trying to delay the moment when she does. (What I haven't worked out is if Eames has only just transferred to Vice [thus, Goren is her first - and only - partner at Major Case because no-one else will partner with him], or if she'd been assigned to someone else beforehand. I think it's the former, but I don't know.) Later, Goren looks over the surveillance tapes of the jewellery store and Eames goes off to talk to the snitch. Goren's trying to point things out in the tape, and Eames quite clearly isn't seeing anything. "Am I supposed to notice something?" Goren is all, no, but she's putting lipstick on her eye, yo. Goren: "I like to watch." Eames: "I prefer to listen." She leaves, on her own, to meet the snitch. It's an interesting distinction early on, and not one that I think is repeated thereafter. Watching the tapes, Goren notices the girl's stress tell, or what he later refers to as her "blink". Towards the end of the episode, Goren enters the observation room where Eames is waiting with Carver and Deakins, and he notices the girl biting her nails in the interrogation room. He knows he's hit the money, he points it out, but Eames has no idea where he's picked this detail up. He points at the glass; Eames is surprised at his loud outburst. (Everything he does in the pilot is loud, abrasive, unrestrained. That restraint comes as he relaxes around Alex.) She is still out of the loop.

Haha, also: what about that random third detective whose desk is behind Goren and Eames'? He comes with them when they go to pick up the Eastern-European guy who's buying a new laminator for the fake IDs. Actually, Eames tackles that guy when he makes a run for it (Goren CANNONBALLS down the length of the store, it's hilarious), so I think that's what warms her to Goren. Also, later, she listens to what he says regarding the stolen diamonds not leading to a gang case and even though Deakins disagrees, she does independent research and realises that Goren is right. I figure he has to appreciate that because she worked it out by herself, and she came around to his way of thinking. She doesn't need leading as much as Bishop does. Also, Eames is pretty smart. She has experience from Vice, and she's not as green as Bishop. On top of that, she has opinions, good or bad. "Don't equivocate, he's a bad guy!" She's not afraid to speak up.

I think the moment that seals the idea that this is one of their early cases together is the moment when Goren asks Eames - in a fairly unpleasant, provoking manner - "Does it bother you that the same people that just jacked $300 million are maxing ou a stolen credit card?" Eames: "Once a thief... you said it yourself, they're impulsive." (Note: this isn't exactly a combative statement.) Goren: "Okay, if it doesn't bother you..." He acts exactly this way with Bishop when she first turns up, pointing out the things she hasn't noticed, pushing buttons. (Eames' response is a half eyeroll, sort of a silent, 'um, whatever'.) He resents people not understanding his perspective, he gets defensive. He implies stupidity on their behalf, which is why Eames countermands him because she really, really isn't stupid. (Bishop doesn't appreciate being attacked, she fights back and gets slammed down; Eames has a better idea of how to respond to Goren, even early on. She doesn't directly contest him. She questions his ideas, tests them, and then sides with him if he turns out to be right. Which is nearly always is.) But Goren does back her up, too. "Your partner is deaf?" "Maybe you are? She asked you a yes or no question." (Also, how much do I love that Eames JACKS THE CAR DOOR? lolz.)

The CI writers have this habit of not revealing canon. That tidbit in season 6 about Eames being a widow is something KE knew about ages before but was never revealed onscreen. I think the writers knew that Eames and Goren's partnership was fairly new at the start of the show (unlike Olivia and Eliot in SVU who knew one another's history and one another's family), and in retrospect, you can work that out if you know what you're looking for. But it only made canon in season 5. The reveal feels a little gimmicky when it comes out, but it's also fairly fitting. (Eames is fit to burst on stand, flipping out. Goren - in a display of maturity - seems sad, but he forgives her. He gets it. He's not easy to deal with.) I think this noticeable development is most touching at the start of season 3 when Eames is pregnant and Goren realises he's going to have a temporary partner. His exact words are, "oh no" in this hilariously childish tone. And then the episode when Eames has the baby, that one's pretty brutal. It takes Goren a long time to settle with people, and he's tetchy about the women in his life - Eames, his mother. I'm glad he tones it down a little (and that he and Eames spend most of S3 pretending to be husband and wife, lolz), but I always look out for those moments when Eames pushes against the grain. Those are the moments when you see her limits, and those are the moments when you learn more about her half of the partnership.

Finally: a tattoo artist (big, burly, scary-biker-dude type) turns up at the precinct. Eames is all, friend of yours? Goren: "I sure hope so." lolz. ("I love meeting your buddies!") These two. What a pair.