I’m so glad that they made a new season bringing back Goren, it was hands down the best part of this show, and in this last season we see his sessions with Dr Gyson, and they are the best part of it. D’Onofrio is impressive, and they give a better ending to this beloved character. We saw him leave because not wanted, and it wasn’t an ideal ending, but here we see him working on his issues, finding some peace, some long-missed family moments, and this way it’s better. He will leave eventually, we know that from the series SVU, but what we see here lets us imagine it’ll be in a better, nicer peace of mind.
1-Rispetto
Goren and Eames!
Sarah is murdered. She pretended to be a college student, but got her money as an escort. Fashion designer Nyle Brite (Jay Mohr) is the first suspect. She had come to his party as a call girl, real name Chloe, and he freaked out when he saw her because she actually was his daughter; he had told nobody about her. When he’s found dead too, they find out that the famous fashion designer didn’t draw his models, everybody covered for him. Teddy Scola was tired of being in the shadows, and Goren pretends to be part of Armani staff to meet him and confront him, and arrest him. He had killed Sarah too, because she didn’t want to blackmail her father.
2-The consoler
Goren and Eames.
I like Eames’ long hair.
Goren has to take a psych evaluation to keep working, and he thinks it’s a waste of time but it’s not negotiable. The captain tells Goren that “it isn’t working” so he starts his sessions with Dr Paula Gyson (Julia Ormond). He starts with the ‘two doors riddle’, and then tells her that she doesn’t have to empathize with him. She calls him “challenging” and he says she thinks he’s crazy. She says “I think you are a person who is aware that the world is a dangerous place. You found a way of surviving but your way can make other people feel uncomfortable” and “it’s part of your skills set, being able to read people quickly”. Goren:”it’s my job” - “sure, it has protected you but it’s also taken its toll on those around you and on yourself. You are exceptional at analyzing others. Exceptional. So what is it that you think will happen if you start looking at yourself?” here ends the first part of their sessions.
Theresa Esperna is killed. Theresa helped people get compensation for abuses by members of the church. Theresa’s friend has a cat called Pywacket and Goren (like me) knows the name “that’s from a Jimmy Stewart film. Kim Novak’s best friend” :-D
A monsignor blackmailed Theresa into having sex with him. He only admits to having sex with consentient women sometimes. The man Theresa liked was abused in high school by a priest, his coach. He only ever told her, and then he killed her to make it go away.
(what did Goren do when they went to question that girl practicing tennis? Pretend to play with another player and annoying her before turning back to his work? :-p )
3-Boots on the ground
Goren was stationed in Korea back in the 90s. Goren is back to Dr Paula.
He compares himself to an old car that if it gets ‘polished’ too much stops working. She points out that cars don’t feel, they’re just meant to work. He starts talking about his mom and remembers talking about that with Nicole and feels like he betrayed his family to get a confession. “you did what you had to do. You always have” and “I don’t think you betrayed your mother, but what have you done for her son?” and I wonder, is Bobbi thinking of himself or of Frankie now? She means him of course, but does he too?
Dead guy Ian Masefield worked for Ascalon Security, cyber warfare division. His real name was Matt Clark and he also worked for Sun Tech Industries, direct competitor of Ascalon in cyber security. He was a mole in Ascalon, that’s why he changed his name. They question Matt’s friend Rebecca - who has the same kanji tattoo - and she covers a paper and Goren keeps turning it and looking at it :p Rebecca and Matt wanted to destroy these security companies. The head of Sun Tech is Naomi Halloran (Jeri Ryan). Naomi’s husband was killed in Afghanistan, and Ascalon ran security there. Terence, head of Ascalon, told Naomi that Matt was sleeping with Rebecca but he wasn’t. Naomi called off the security guards assigned to him and he got killed. Terence sent Rebecca to kill him. Terence told Rebecca that her 12-year-old cousin had died, and she killed Matt to protect the rest of her family. A lot of arrests in this episode: Terence for having a 12-year-old girl and Matt killed, Rebecca who actually killed him, Naomi for conspiring to murder Matt, and Matt’s mom for trying to kill Terence with a bomb, sure that he had killed her son.
4-The last street in Manhattan
David, a company CEO, is shot to death. They question his partner, his ex-girlfriend (loved it when Goren sat on the director’s chair all smug :-p) , his last date. David’s real girlfriend was a teacher (Goren high-fived a kid while walking :-p). Vanessa works at the same school Eames attended “smaller than I remember”. Vanessa’s dad owns a bar, quotes Scott Fitsgerald, of course Goren gets it and he says “I knew I liked you” and Goren smiles :-)
Eames tells Goren of where Danny dumped her , remembering her years in that neighbourhood, and he says “not for being ordinary!” and she explains “for kissing Nick Pharrell” - “oooh lucky Nicky” :-p they’re lovely together :-p
They go together at Johnny Eames’ house, Alex’s dad. They talk about Driscoll, the local boss. He seems ok, but she says he has alzheimer.
Goren and Eames make Vanessa believe that her dad was killed by Driscoll to have her confess. Her dad had borrowed money from Driscoll and owned him a lot now. She paid him back giving him info on David’s business. She confessed to David, and David had a tough talk with Driscoll and Driscoll killed him. Only after she confesses everything and they arrest Driscoll they let her know that her dad’s alive. Goren quotes Fitsgerald again “show me a hero and I’ll write you a tragedy”. So sad.
Goren talks about the case and about fathers to his doc. Not his birth-father, but the guy who took him along while he cheated on his wife and then had Bobbi lie to his mother to cover him. He taught him the important lesson that “everybody lie all the time”, and he’s always used that in all his relations, not just work.
5-Trophy wine
Wine importer Colman is found dead in his wine cellar. Someone put viagra in his wine that mixed badly with the wine and the rest of his meds and he was also locked in the cellar.
At a man’s house, Goren compares his foot to a 17th century armor’s foot :-p Eames smiles at Goren’s attempt at “tasting wine” :-p
The case is about very expensive wines, counterfeited bottles, and a bad marriage. He had an apartment where he met prostitutes. Juliet slept with him while her boyfriend Shane was having a thing with the guy’s wife Avery. She liked him and confessed to protect him, but he says that Colman paid him to sleep with his wife. They never did though, and he makes a disgusted face there, saying “too old and too weird”. The jerk, the woman I saw was really beautiful!
Colman wanted to divorce her and Shane would have testified that she cheated. She had a fidelity clause, he didn’t. She murdered him for real, not for the money but because he called her a whore and treated her badly.
Goren with Dr Paula Gyson. He talks about Eames, one he trusts. “I respect her, I admire her, she puts up with my crap and as you’re learning that’s not easy” and “she’s like a sister to me” and “a man can’t have a working friendship with his partner, it has to be more than that?”. She asks him about his romantic relationships, and he sort of seems to use work as an excuse, plus his age... and says “that’s what you’re thinking!”. She asks “do you ever feel lonely?” and it’s the end of the session for us, we’ll never know if he answered or not.
6-Cadaver
A girl wins the Langston Medical Grant, or something. Langston disappears. A medical school cadaver is found in a park, because it was scheduled to be cremated and Langston’s body was cremated instead. Maya’s mother is played by Rosalind Chao. One of the young researchers was Langston’s illegitimate son , but he didn’t kill him.
Maya’s mother was obsessed with making her a successful doctor, and she was living her mother’s life, but she actually wanted to be a painter. Her sister escaped and works now in a bar. Maya’s mom killed Langston and Maya disposed of the body. Maya tries to confess, crying, to protect her mother, but she gives a full confession asking to let Maya go free.
Goren to Dr Gyson. He asks to take the session outside because it’s a beautiful day :p They talk again about the “being lonely” and if he might have romantic feelings and he says “you didn’t answer my question. Is it too late?” and “we don’t have a lot of sessions left, I’m a big boy, a grown man” and “I can take it, just tell me if you think I can’t have what other people have, you know, a home a relationship” and “I look in the mirror every day and I see what you see... you know, it’s not working, this, I ask you for your professional judgement and you turn it back on me. Come on, you’re smart, you’re someone that I respect” - Doc:“and you want to know if I see you as someone capable of being in a relationship..” - Goren:”you think I’m hitting on you?” and he gets angry, yells at her that she plays empathic, listen gets her patients to trust her “and then you pull back, you toy with them”, tells her to take his badge away if she wants to but this is not helping, not working, and he walks out.
7-Icarus
Sit-com star Mark is to act in a theatre play, directed by Amanda (Cynthia Nixon), in a Broadway musical. Her full name is Amanda Rollins!
On stage something goes wrong and Mark dies. Adam (Eion Bailey) wrote the music and songs for the play. Amanda’s assistant Roger calls himself a dramaturge. Bobbi goes to a friend expert in Greek mythology “are you sure you need my help?” :-p
The producer wanted the lead actor to die (or maybe simply get badly injured) in an accident to collect insurance instead of losing money on a failing play. He used Roger. They confront them all, and the producer Evan denigrates Roger to their faces, and his, so he tells them everything. It was Evan’s idea. Evan smirks at his words saying that there’s no proof, but “Evan, I recorded our conversations! Every single one of them” with his specific instructions, “because I wanted to do a good job for you”. Goren:”show’s over”.
Goren is back to Dr Gyson. She asks him why he came back; he wanted to apologize because he over-reacted. She won’t leave it at that. He didn’t know the rules there, he felt anger, and more anger, and underneath that fear, she says, he’s justifiably terrorized of what they might discover with these sessions, by looking into him.
8-To the boy in the blue knit cap
Rich, twin brothers Thomas and Parker are murdered. The father says that they had an idea two years ago and then Danielle stole it and created her successful site. Parker and his father wanted to sue Danielle, Thomas didn’t. The dream-couple Danielle-PJ was just a facade. PJ had a story with Hildy, Danielle’s assistant, and Danielle had one with Thomas, her “true love”. That night Thomas and Parker had a fight and Thomas got injured but when she arrived and saw them she believed that Parker had killed him, so she killed him.
Goren and Dr Gyson. The job is vital to him, but he thinks it’s “the only thing that defines you, you think without the puzzle you don’t matter. It’s a lie but it’s the only one you’ve chosen to believe... There’s so much more to you than that” and Goren “are you gonna take my job away?” - “I’m gonna tell them that you are more than capable of holding down your job”, also he has anger and trust issues, so she recommends other doctors to him, but he gives her the cards back and says “same time next week?” - “..ok”.
When he walks out, there’s Eames waiting for him outside and he calls her Alex :-) She drives him to the next case and he smiles :-)
Lovely ending.
Goren-Vincent D'Onofrio
Eames-Kathryn Erbe
Dr Gyson-Julia Ormond
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