Cold Case

I am seriously wondering if Cold Case has finally run out of gas. I love too many episodes from the first four seasons to list them here, but last season was dull (with a slight uptick at the end thanks to "The Road") and leading off with an uninspired, warmed-over ep like this one doesn't give me hope.



The storyline is hackneyed: a well-to-do, young, pretty white woman takes a job as an inner city teacher to "make a difference"--which, of course, she does. The characters should have numbers on them so you know what color to paint in: the victim is completely dedicated and earnest; the other teachers are irredemably jaded and hostile; the students are all thugs with hearts of gold just waiting for someone to "make a difference." The resolution comes after a couple of pointless twists that lead nowhere, and ultimately feels predictable.



There is absolutely nothing new, fresh, or even particularly interesting about the episode. The only part I liked was the introduction of the acerbic Carla as a foil for Vera--but we even saw that before (Toni Halsted?). "True Calling" was the kind of filler episode good series that have run too long inevitably make. I am sure Cold Case will come back with a few solid eps later, but with each passing season, I expect fewer and fewer "The Road"s and more and more "True Calling"s.

het is waar een ieder heeft op zijn of haar school een leraar of lerares gekend dat heel veel betekend heeft tijdens de schoolperiode. ik heb ok zo een lerares gehad. in deze aflevering van cold case wordt het zeer genuanceerd gelanceerd. perfect geacteerd. tevens laat deze aflevering zien dat je als mens -waar een wil is is een weg - jezelf kunt op stijgen uit je milieu. laura kinsley deed dat met haar zeer moeilijke klas. kinderen die geboren zijn zonder ooit een eerlijke kans in het leven te hebben gehad. geboren bij asociale ouder(s), zonder opleiding, proberen hun hoofd boven water te houden. en dan komt er een miss laura, en alles verandert. goede rol, zeker ook van die van renaldo, de jongeman die door haar doorzettingsvermogen toch nog enige prestatie heeft geleverd.

Seriously. This is one of those episodes where you can't help but get a little emotional (unless you have the emotional range of the Q key on my keyboard). I get the whole, "This is a total cliche'" argument, but some of the best episodes are cliches worked to be made better. This is one of those things. The best part is that this is one of those episodes that is about relevant issues no matter when it takes place; this could've taken place in 2000 and no changes would have been needed. (Not to say that era-specific episodes aren't good). Bravo

Another reviewer of this episode pretty much hit the nail on the head. If you have seen such movies as "Dangerous Minds," "Stand and Deliver" and "Lean on Me" you have seen this episode. That's the main reason why I have given this episode and average rating. What I did like about it however is that the acting is quite good and I have to admit that I was hooked on the story as to where it would go (Though the conclusion is not all that surprising). Another good point is that Lilly's "boyfriend" does not appear in this episode.

Laura being a first time teacher at her first post, a tough one at that, and her greenness definitely showing. She tries her best to find ways to reach her students. She wouldn't give up on anyone of them even when other teachers had. Renaldo Ramos was the lost cause that Laura was trying to save. Darnell Brent was the student with potential that Laura did reach. She protective of both of them. Then you have Kenny Yates a teacher at the same school with Laura. She discovers that Kenny is using Renaldo to score drugs for him. She threatens to out him if he doesn't resign. That threat ultimately costs her her life. Laura McKinney was a teacher for a short time but made a difference that is long lasting.

The team opens a case of a murdered school teacher to try to figure out who was the killer and overrule the previous thought that it was a carjacking gone wrong. I loved the story in this episode and the students and everyone who said they were touched by the teacher and actually wanted to try because of her. It was sad seeing how bad the school was and how desperate and hopeless the other teachers were. She got shot trying to help a student by another teacher who did drugs. Wow. That's messed up. Overall, I loved the story and the guest characters. There wasn't much main character development in this episode though.

Personally, I like this episode better than the season premiere, this ep had more depth to it. It was one of the best episodes so far and I loved how it seemed to work out better in the end, I know happy endings are not typical for shows, but this one did and not in a fairy tale way. It was really satisfying to see how this episode came together. It really was an episode to remember. It was cleverly done and I hope to see more episodes like it, so far this season like I said before is going to be good, can't wait to see what the rest of the season is going to be like.