Cold Case

It's Raining Men

Season 2, Episode 7, Aired 11/14/04

Episode Summary

An HIV-positive gay man asks Rush and Valens to re-investigate the case of his dead partner who died of strangulation in 1983. Not only was the victim outspoken in his views about AIDS education within the 1980's secretive gay community, he was also the member of a very prominent family, disowned by his father for his sexual orientation.moreless

8.4

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Cast & Crew

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Jeremy Ratchford

Det. Nick Vera
Thom Barry

Det. Will Jeffries
John Finn

Lt. John Stillman

Fan Episode Reviews (3)

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Tugs at the heartstrings

10

"Perfect"

By teknodave, Nov 09, 2010 Report Abuse

I will be honest, I have only watched a few episodes of the series, and when I could not sleep, I saw this on TNT and thought it would be a good watch. I am glad I was right.

Some people have said that a lot of the stereotypes were utilized in this episode, but I see it in a different aspect, being a gay man myself. The way things happened from what I have read, they have hit pretty spot-on. Many did not know how to handle the AIDS epidemic back then, and bathhouses were targeted as one of the "causes" as they did with the bathhouse arson.

The episode had me wondering which direction it was going, it had me guessing until the end as to who killed Jeff. At one point, I thought Finch, brilliantly played by James Morrison, who I love from his work on 24, was the culprit. I just wish we could see what he was typing on his laptop. Was his character finally coming out from the memories of the past?

But what moved me to tears, was the presence of Jeff's spirit at the wedding. That was an awesome way to end the episode.moreless

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Although I really enjoyed the plot of this episode I am altogether unhappy with both the presentation of gay characters in this episode and the reactions of the cast.

7.0

"Good"

By Verbera, Sep 21, 2007 Report Abuse

Although I really enjoyed the plot of this episode I am altogether unhappy with both the presentation of gay characters in this episode and the reactions of the cast. Nearly all the popular stereotypes on gay people are in the movie - that they all enjoy open relationships, that they are irresponsible about being gay that they are effeminate, that they are promiscuous, that they die of AIDS. Unfortunately, relying on popular stereotypes about homosexuals when they're being portrayed is still very common, so it is probably not too unusual and I should not have been upset to find so many of them in this series, but I would have hoped that the series would be an exception. Not so, it never really leaves the boundaries set by these stereotypes. The reactions of the cast support the stereotypes the episode relies on as the normal view, which is rather sad. I should have thought that they are more intelligent than that. Slurs and derogatory remarks occur as well, and they were unnecessary and rude. All in all, I thought that the plot was really interesting and well-constructed, but the many stereotypes it draws upon expose a very, very limited world view that dares not venture out of the comforting limits of what the producers and writers apparently see as the publicly accepted norm. Very sad.moreless

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Good example of this series

7.2

"Good"

By Tguy, Aug 19, 2005 Report Abuse

Overall, this episode is well- and tightly- written, with several twists and turns in the plot that move it away from a standard which-suspect-did-it tale. The various boyfriends and relations of the victim, Jeff Kern, are differentiated from each other well by the script and acting. This often happens in this programme: Lily Rush is almost a tabula rasa, a plot device to track down murderers in the context of the story; an avenging angel in the context of the characters' lives and world; in any given episode, we see more characterisation of the one-off characters than the continuing ones. This is an interesting device, though perhaps an old and obvious one in the context of detective stories.

Twenty-plus years on, looking back at the very beginning of the AIDS epidemic, we see several different approaches within the gay 'community,' one of them sharing the 'outside world's decision to ignore it in the hope that it'll go away. This is an unusual twist in the format of the programme, though not the only episode where we see a society different in its attitudes from today's (unfortunately, not that different at times).
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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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Trivia
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- Nitpick: Why would a murder victim have squares on the AIDS quilt? His death was not HIV- nor AIDS-related. Edit
- We learn that Det. Jeffries' niece was a drug user who died of AIDS. Edit
- Jeff Kern was murdered on April 22, 1983. Edit
Notes
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- International Episode Titles: Czech Republic: Lidi prší (People, It Is Raining) Edit
- International Airdates: - Denmark: January 26, 2005 on TV3+ Edit
- Music Featured in This Episode: - It's Raining Men by The Weather Girls - Our House by Madness - Working for the Weekend by Loverboy - You Got Lucky by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper - Eyes Without a Face by Billy Idol - Still Loving You by Scorpions - Shame on the Moon by Bob Seger - When I'm With You by Sheriff Edit
Quotes
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- Jeffries: So, who were these gay men? Carlo: You want me to out them? Vera: For a homicide investigation, you bet. Edit
- Artie: The gift I want is justice. Edit
- Carlo: I'm ugly now, I make money cleaning birdcages. But look at me there. I was gorgeous. Edit
Allusions
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- Jeff Kern: I don't believe Rock Hudson has liver cancer. Rock Hudson was a famous actor who appeared in several movies, mainly in the 1950's and 60's. After many denials and close to death he finally admitted he was dying of AIDS, and perished due to AIDS-related complications in 1985. After his death, his long-time partner successfully sued the estate, revealing the fact that Hudson had hidden his homosexuality for most of his career. Rock Hudson was the first major public figure to acknowledge publicly that he had AIDS. Edit
- Det. Valens: This ain't Pottery Barn. Pottery Barn is a furniture store that was founded in 1949 and known for its high-quality products. Edit
- Title: It's Raining Men It's Raining Men is a 1983 hit song performed by The Weather Girls. A portion of the song is also heard in the beginning of this episode. Edit