Cold Case

Saving Patrick Bubley

Season 3, Episode 6, Aired 11/6/05

Episode Summary

When a mother of five loses her fourth son to gang violence, Lilly sets out the save the youngest, reopening one of her first cases on the homicide squad.

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Cast & Crew

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John Finn

Lt. John Stillman
Jeremy Ratchford

Det. Nick Vera
Danny Pino

Scotty Valens

Fan Episode Reviews (10)

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A very sad episode that shows how violence only begets more violence

8.7

"Great"

By BabyKitten199, Sep 03, 2011 Report Abuse

This was an extremely sad episode because there was absolutely no need for any of the Bubley sons to die. It showed how a family full of love could be destroyed by gang violence. The eldest son was just looking after his little brother when that gangbanger killed him for speaking up for himself. What made it worse was the way each Bubley brother took it upon himself to avenge the previous death, which only led to their own. It was a total tearjerker & I was crying through most of it but the ending tied everything up quite nicely & PM Dawn\'s \"Faith in You\" was the perfect final song. This is one of the best shows on television.moreless

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This episode made me cry.

9.0

"Superb"

By Femvamp, Jun 05, 2010 Report Abuse

The way back machine travels to Lilly's very first case as a murder cop and to the tragedy of a family caught up in the cycle of drugs and violence when 4th of 5 children of a single mother is found dead.

Lilly is determined to save the 5th and youngest son and believes she can do it my solving the big story as to why the cycle started in the first place. This is one of those episode that is Cold Case at its best both beautiful and tragic. It showed how quickly a symbol of hope can turn into a symbol of destruction.moreless

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excellent.

10

"Perfect"

By facebookfan, Dec 06, 2009 Report Abuse

The team reopens 3 other cases when a woman loses her 4th son to gang violence. As Lilly worked the first son's case (1999), she makes it her personal mission to save the 5th and final son, Patrick, from the same fate as his brothers.

Heartbreaking is putting this episode lightly. You got to see the struggles of the family, the mother trying to raise 5 children on her own and then losing them one-by-one, eventually turning to drugs as a coping mechanism. Plus, you've got the mysterious WEB D. (scooter, if I remember correctly) that the brothers fight over. It symbolizes hope, togetherness and the struggle for the family to stay together without the temptation of drugs, guns, violence and the streets, which, unfortunately, leads to the early deaths of 4 young boys. And since one of the death's was Lilly's 1st case, you see how much she's changed, especially since her first partner was a douche (luckily, we've got Scotty now :) ). And as another reviewer said, the "no drugs today, Biff" scene was a series classicmoreless

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After a mother loses her fourth son to gun violence, Lilly reopens her 3 previous sons' cases in order to stop the violence before taking the last Bubley.

9.5

"Superb"

By luckydagangsta, Jun 09, 2008 Report Abuse

I think all in all it was a good episode. It had tons of emotion. I felt bad for the mother after she lost 4 of her 5 sons to guns and even worse when they reveal the reason at the end.

Although, it annoyed me that the family wouldn't co-operate with the police. I mean these cases could have been solved a lot quickly if they would have said the important things in the beginning. Until the end, I was getting like Lilly was getting about thayt woman, just tuning her out.

And it was nice to add a side of humor to an otherwise sad episode. "The No Drugs Today" scene was just plain priceless.moreless

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Absolutely amazing. I must say that when I first started watching this episode I didn't think I'd be interested. However, the thought of losing that many children devestated me.

10

"Perfect"

By dmsxx, Mar 07, 2008 Report Abuse

Absolutely amazing. I must say that when I first started watching this episode I didn't think I'd be interested. However, the thought of losing that many children devestated me. If that woman were real she must have really hurt and I don't really blame her for becoming an adict.

I like how Lilly had a run-in with her past as well, she really wanted to solve this case no matter what it took. She wanted to prove to her partner that she didn't believe in the whole no humans involved thing.

I'm glad that they figured out who the killer was before the 5th one was murdered. And to think, it was all over a small little scooter.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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Trivia
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- In this episode, we learn that the Vaughn Bubley case (November 25, 1999) was one of Lilly's first on the homicide. The triple homicide in episode 2-1: The Badlands was Lilly's last before she moved to cold cases. The Lincolns in The Badlands were murdered on September 27, 2003. This means that Lilly worked on the homicide squad approximately 3 years and 10 months before switching exclusive to cold cases. Edit
- The four Bubley brothers died exactly two years apart from each other: Vaughn on November 25, 1999, Cedric in 2001, Quincy in 2003, and finally Luther in 2005. Edit
Notes
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- International Airdates: - Denmark: December 7, 2005 on TV3+ Edit
- This is Mo's second time as a guest star on the show. He also appeared in the pilot (1-1: Look Again), although not playing the same character. Edit
- Music Featured in This Episode: - Changes by 2Pac - Let the Drummer Kick It by Citizen Cope - Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? by Moby - The Long Day Is Over by Norah Jones - Get to Know Ya by Maxwell - Cumbia de los Muertos by Ozomatli - Faith in You by P.M. Dawn Edit
Quotes
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- (in flashback) Det. Fulcrum, Lilly's first partner: Ah, crap! Cretin's got family! Lilly: Should I... notify them? Fulcrum: Yeah, go on. Lilly: I... just never done it before. Fulcrum: This is the perfect opportunity then, because this here ain't nothing but an NHI. Lilly: No Humans Involved. Fulcrum: Yup! Lilly: I don't really believe in that. Fulcrum: Stick around long enough and your bleeding heart will run dry real soon! Edit
- Det. Rush: (showing Patrick Bubley the shelf with his brothers' case files on it) The road you're going down, Patrick, leads right here. There's a spot open. Next to your brothers. Patrick: Maybe that's just how it goes. Edit
- Highlight below for a spoiler: Det. Rush: I don't believe four boys are dead over a scooter. Patrick Bubley: It wasn't just a scooter. Det. Rush: It stood for something? Patrick Bubley: Everything. Edit
Allusions
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- William Edward Burghardt DuBois W.E.B. DuBois (1868-1963) was an African-American writer and civil rights activist. In this episode, Patrick Bubley wins the W.E.B. DuBois essay contest held in his school in 1999. Edit
- Citizen Kane / Rosebud The plot at the end of the episode is very reminiscent of the 1941 movie Citizen Kane, directed by and starring Orson Welles. In the movie, publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane longs for something called "Rosebud", which in the end turns out to be a sled he had as a boy. In this episode, "Web D", the reason for the brothers' murders, turns out to be Patrick's scooter that he won in an essay contest. Edit
- Saving Private Ryan The episode title is a reference to the 1998 movie Saving Private Ryan, starring Tom Hanks. Also the plot is very similar. In the movie, Mrs. Ryan has lost three of her sons in World War II. When the youngest of his sons gets trapped behind enemy lines, the army is determined to return him safe and sound to his mother. In this episode, Mrs. Bubley has lost four of her sons in gang-related shootings and Lilly is determined to solve the murders to save the youngest of the Bubley brothers, Patrick. Edit