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Episode Recap: "Robin Hood"
This was a pleasant, leisurely episode, a definite shift in pacing as well as tone from the frenetic previous installment. In fact, beyond seeing Navi Rawat's Amita and David Krumholtz's Charlie behave more like an actual couple than we've seen before, and aside from some nice business between Diane Farr's Meghan and Peter MacNicol's Larry as they attempt to grow more intimate again, I have relatively little to note about this episode. Will Patton is quite good at keeping his occasional recurring character, Gary Walker, from slipping into an utter caricature of the tough cop with the heart of gold, and, happily for Dylan Bruno and his stunt doubles or both, Granger was required only to do one shallow dive and some running pursuit of a suspect. (Alimi Ballard's Sinclair even got to do the diving tackle of the fleeing man.)
A synopsis: The episode begins in an ornate bank lobby; only the apparent sophistication of the vault keeps it from being just as likely a chamber in a museum. An overnight bank guard is tricked into assuming the alarm system is malfunctioning, then is put out of commission with a tranquilizing dart. Our FBI unit is called in, along with the LAPD unit under Walker, only to be played by the robbers when only the relatively clueless assistant is caught, leaving the primary culprit at liberty. He seems to have struck only a very few safety deposit boxes in the vault... all of which seem to have housed ill-gotten gains, the specialty of this private, "Grand Caymans-style" bank. In hopes of helping get a handle on the case, Charlie devises a mathematical computer model to determine the order in which the robbed boxes were broken into; however, Amita is not as involved in this as she might have been otherwise, since she's a bit apprehensive about Charlie's stated intention to meet her parents, who are coming to visit. It turns out that Amita's father is against Amita getting involved with any non-Indian man, and Amita is uncomfortable first in admitting that, and even more with the prospect that her not wanting Charlie to meet her father yet will cause friction between them. Larry, meanwhile, wonders what to do with himself, unsure what his goal should be, aside from figuring out how best to reconnect with Meghan. He definitely senses it's time to leave the monastery behind. Meanwhile, the computer model seems to generate more questions than it answers at first, as do the other clues in the case. The thief seems to be putting all his loot, and reward money and blackmail money he also accrues, toward various youth-oriented charities; Sinclair and Granger seem particularly flummoxed in their attempts to control the situations the thief keeps creating. And, as it turns out, the thief was also the first "victim" of the thefts, a South African emigré mercenary going by "J.W. Piennar" (Jason Durr) who is out to avenge the death of his firefighter brother, who was killed responding to an arson fire commissioned by the director of the private bank (a suitably twitchy Tim DeKay). Rob Morrow's Don Eppes uses his discretion as the senior FBI officer to let "Piennar" escape, figuring that at least rough justice has been served. And Amita promises to let Charlie meet her family, even as Charlie promises to let her do so at her own pace.
There were references to Kathy Najimy's absent character Millie, so clearly they're not yet ready to let her disappear altogether. Next week's episode will deal in part with Don and (Aya Sumika's character) Liz Warner's relationship, and Don's troubled romantic past.
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Oct 27, 2007 12:25 AM
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Nice review Todd, and I agree, it was far lighter in tone, and heavy on the interpersonal relationships.
It was hard to "buy" that Don would let the guy go, a little too sweet an ending for this show.
I was glad to hear Millie mentioned, but her presence is missed, especially since she is/was involved with Alan. I suppose the writers took note of our "where is Millie" campaign and threw us a bone..lol.
I didn't see the preview, glad Liz is back.
The Next Generation/Will Wheaton fans seem excited that he is guesting in November, as per Ausiello.
Last week to this week, almost seems like 2 different shows.
Charlie: his appearance is still discombobulated to say the least. When is last season's Charlie coming back?
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Oct 27, 2007 1:09 AM
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Please shave, Charlie. Please.
As Will Patton's character is a lieutenant, why is he in uniform? Couldn't he wear plainclothes? It was really nice to see him back, BTW.
I think Charlie & Will Patton both thought that justice was better served letting him go. After all, they got a priceless antiquity back to the place where it belonged and captured a notorious drug dealer/killer. And the kids benefitted.
I agree. Good episode.
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Oct 27, 2007 3:42 AM
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I really liked that this episode dealt with the realities of relationships for a change. I can totally relate to Amita's character as I've been in the same boat many a time. It is so refreshing to see a modern east Indian woman dealing with the same relationship problems as everyone else without any stereotypical Indian accent or other BS stereotypes. I love this show and how it keeps a nice balance on everyones story.
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Oct 27, 2007 9:58 AM
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I get why Don let the guy go - and not just from the perspective of karmic justice.
They had no eyewitnesses, no forensic evidence, victims who were unlikely to want to testify (at least, without immunity for their own crimes) - and who if they did testify, were unlikely to have much credibility with the jurors - and a case where the strongest evidence was a somewhat cryptic and Charlie's hunch. It was pretty doubtful if they'd be able to find an ADA who'd be willing to take on the case, and even more doubtful than that that a jury would convict, so when Don let him go, he was mainly just saving the taxpayers the money of having to go through with a trial, and having done what he did and fulfilled his purpose in committing the robberies, it wasn't likely he would be reoffending anytime sue.
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Oct 27, 2007 10:13 AM
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I agree w/ Kriselda jarnsaxa about why Don let the guy go... no good chance of conviction, and besides, he pretty much righted a bunch of wrongs. (If you think of it, he even 'stole' and forfeited his own questionably-owned kruggerands.... altho he probably just used those to finance his trip to Venezuela.)
Don mentioned his therapist- I wonder if they'll show any more sessions, which I found interesting. And I have a question: Don said David & Colby "bungled" the job when they followed the bank owner to the pier, and he threw a money-bag into the water. How did they "bungle" it? There wasn't much David or Colby could have done that they didn't already do. I realize Don was using that in part to "knock their heads together" as the cop mentioned, but still, I didn't think it was justified.
All in all, a good episode, altho again the math totally lost me. I hope they dont' show Amita's parents... I don't like when they get too much into soap-opera territory. For me, a little bit of "relationship stuff" goes a long, long way.
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Oct 27, 2007 11:41 AM
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Great episode! Quite a contrast between this and last week's horrific 'Thirteen'. This had all the good elements that make Numb3rs so enjoyable. Loved Alan making a frozen pumpkin and the mystery itself was fun, if not really believable.
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Oct 27, 2007 12:43 PM
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Jena, the coins being sold for profit and donated to charities were the first clue for the gang. He did not keep the money from that. Presumably, as a highly-paid merc, he already had money.
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Oct 27, 2007 2:49 PM
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True, The72John, the sold coins were how the FBI found out the booty was going to charity. But I think we only have the con-man's word as to how much was "stolen." He may have forfeited some for the crime, but for all anybody knows, he had plenty more to finance his new life. But what a feat he pulled off: an almost victimless crime which righted a lot of wrongs and put truly bad guys behind bars, and he lives out his life on a beach in South America!
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Oct 27, 2007 4:00 PM
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This was a good episode and a welcome respite from the intensity of "Thirteen" last week. While last week's ep was just as good as this one, they were very different in tone and intensity. The preview of next week's episode looks really great. I am anxious to see more of Don's past romantic "issues" arise and see how he (and Liz) handle said issues. I know Don cares for Liz, but I am not convinced of the longevity of this relationship.
I loved the scene with Megan and Larry and the interruption of their kiss by Charlie. I look forward to watching as Larry & Megan rekindle their romance. Diane Farr is great as Megan and I am also looking forward to possibly more information coming out regarding Megan's time at the DOJ. I hope that aspect is not forgotten this season.
I also really enjoyed the back and forth between Colby and David. It is nice to see these two as partners again.
I am very glad to see that Millie has not been forgotten by the writers. I am still holding out hope for Kathy Najimy to return this season. She was an awesome addition to the show!
Charlie really does need to clean up a bit. I am all for the "relaxed professor" look, but it is being taken a bit too far I believe. Also, does anyone miss the scenes at the Eppes' house? I think this season is lacking enough scenes at home with Alan, Don & Charlie. Otherwise, Season 4 is great! Looking forward to next weeks episode and comments.
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Oct 27, 2007 4:26 PM
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Does anyone know the name & artist of the song playing during the beginning while the bank is being robbed?
Thanks!
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Oct 27, 2007 8:03 PM
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The pumpkin thing was a little out there. Especially when Alan joined in. That was a funny reference to the movie "Back to School." This wasn't my favorite episode. It was funny to see Colby and David not get it together.
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Oct 28, 2007 8:24 AM
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Looking into the heist-music question, Parzham...and thanks, NSGal. A telling point, Babysloth.
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Nov 3, 2007 8:00 AM
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The song is Spring and By Summer Fall by Blonde Redhead
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Nov 10, 2007 9:04 PM
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