Cold Case

Family 8108

Season 5, Episode 11, Aired 12/9/07

Episode Summary

The team re-investigates the 1945 murder of a Japanese-American family man who was persecuted in his neighborhood following the Pearl Harbor attack. Meanwhile, Lt. Stillman has decided to retire from the force.

9.0

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Cast & Crew

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Jeremy Ratchford

Nick Vera
John Finn

Lt. John Stillman
Kathryn Morris

Lilly Rush

Fan Episode Reviews (7)

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A man is found dead after an Army/Navy football game. He is an American of Japanese ancestry and the plot involves his time in a Japanese internment camp whether it contributed to his death. Public opinion is powerful than truth.moreless

9.2

"Superb"

By ariamaluum, Mar 02, 2011 Report Abuse

The show starts with a family playing touch football and ends with somebody dying after tackle football. Football is a metaphor for being culturally accepted in America. Touch football is a metaphor of how Japanese Americans and Asians are perceived and tackle football is how other Americans are to be perceived. Ray Takahashi is a warrior willing to fight for his team but his American teammates reject him and his people reject him for trying to make the team. Who is killer? Arguments concerning justification of Japanese Americans in those camps. One fact: people of Japanese ancestry in Hawaii were not put into camps like the other 48. Why? Because Hawaii's economy would collapse. Why Japanese internment in the other 48? Rock, papers, and scissors.moreless

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4 0
Painful to watch due to the subject matter dealt with....

8.4

"Great"

By Maverick405, May 04, 2008 Report Abuse

This episode deals with the US reaction to the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour in December 1941. All Japanese-Americans were interned in camps known as "War Relocation Camps", due to the possibility of a full blown Japanese invasion force hitting the west coast of the US. Over 60% of those imprisoned were actually US citizens! It brings up the ethical and moral issue of iternment of a race; as one of the iternees noticed, the name of one of the guards was Schulz, a good German name, so why wasn't he being interned? Also sad from the fact that the son of the main characters family, volunteers to fight for the US forces and is killed in battle but not necessarily entitled to the same honours and decorations awarded someone of non-Japanese origin.moreless

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1 0
wow...great episode...

9.9

"Superb"

By Fwirrel, Dec 15, 2007 Report Abuse

The thing I love about Cold Case is that they can make amazing stories and characters in just one episode. This episode was a fine example. It was about a japanese family during world war two and showed how they were discriminated and placed in detention centers. The son was killed in the war and the father was murdered, leaving the wife and her young child alone. The characters were amazing. I really got into the father's character. I loved how they placed it in history and really put forth the japanese point of view. It turned out that the war changed Skip and he killed the father. I thought it was said. War does change people. Skip was a victum of war and he didn't deserve to go to jail after 60 plus years. Oh well. See, I get into these stories. Overall, amazing episode. Oh, and I loved the whole thing with the boss. It was great. Again, AMAZING episode.moreless

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Great episode really engaging and once again the show provides great atmosphere for a setting. I never would've

9.0

"Superb"

By danharr, Dec 11, 2007 Report Abuse

Great episode really engaging and once again the show provides great atmosphere for a setting. I never would've expected an episode in Japanese internment camps or that aspect of WW2. The family and the hell they suffered was quite endearing it was easy to identify with them and their plight. The second story of the Boss's return to the squad was done well. A little trite that Lily could magically appeal to him to comeback but whatever works I suppose. As much as I would've liked to see Jeffries run the show i'm well pleased the Lieutenant is back. Nice engaging story with great setting and wonderful jobs on all the actors parts.moreless

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This is a sensitive subject and for Americans it must be a subject that brings a lot of shame.

9.2

"Superb"

By karatiz, Dec 11, 2007 Report Abuse

This is a story of an Japanese family born in America in the World War II whose father was murdered. Has other families like them, they were sent to an camp and they were kept there. Ray's son, Billy, he went to war and died in France like a hero, he sacrificed himself to save others.
The letter Billy wrote to his father after being there, Ray received it some time after Billy's death, was touching, he finally understood what his father meant, his vision of a country, of their country, how good it was and what it should be. That letter changed Ray after he and his family arrive to Philly. Now he had a new porpoise, he would give his boy the meddle he deserved, he was a hero. That's what got him killed, when he went for help. Skip, Billy's best friend, changed in war and so did his vision, his opinion. A jap was a jap...

At least, both Billy and Shinji's son got their meddles, they deserved.

this brings up the terrorist attack, the emigrants, the different races...moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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Trivia
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- Ray Takahashi was killed on December 1, 1945. Edit
Notes
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- International Airdates: - Denmark: February 27, 2008 on TV3 - The Netherlands: May 10, 2008 on Net 5 - Sweden: June 14, 2008 on Kanal 5 - Czech Republic: July 16, 2008 on TV Nova - Finland: July 22, 2008 on MTV3 - Germany: July 23, 2008 on Pro7 - Norway: August 13, 2008 on TVNorge - Slovakia: September 8, 2009 on Markiza - Turkey: November 17, 2009 on CNBC-e Edit
- Patti Yasutake (Barbara Takahashi) is a Star Trek alumni (she played Nurse Alyssa Ogawa on Star Trek: The Next Generation), as is Cold Case producer, Roxann Dawson (B'Elanna Torres on Star Trek: Voyager). Edit
- Music Featured in This Episode:
  - Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy by The Andrews Sisters (January 1941)
  - (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover by Vera Lynn (1942)
  - This Is No Laughing Matter by Glenn Miller
  - Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition! by Kay Kyser (1943)
  - Whispering Grass (Don't Tell the Trees) by The Ink Spots (1940)
  - I'm Making Believe by Ella Fitzgerald & The Ink Spots (1944)
  - When the Lights Go On Again All Over the World by Vaughn Monroe (1943)
  Edit
Quotes
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- Larry: Don't know why they let you people in this country. Ray: I was born here. Larry: Uh huh, but you got cousins in the old country fighting for the Emperor. Ray: Sholtz, is that German? Your cousin fighting for Hitler? Edit
- Billy: (arriving at the internment camp) How long are we gonna be here for? Ray: Not too long. It's for our own protection. Billy: Then why are the guns pointed at us? Edit
- Nick Vera: (about the internment of Japanese-Americans) We were at war. They'd have done the same to us if we were in Japan. Scotty Valens: Would you feel the same if it was your family? Edit
Allusions
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- Sunnydale, CA, where the first part of the scene of the teaser is set, is a fictional location of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Edit