By Jennifer Larson
The older the case is on this entertaining show, the better I like it. Tonight we get taken back to 2002, when a math genius – who was tragically taken advantage of by his own brother – is shot and killed. Thank god for the cold case team; if not for them, the brutal death of a 14-year-old kid would go unresolved. But as always, it isn’t smooth sailing. Getting witnesses to talk after so much time and finding new evidence that will lead them in the right direction gets harder and harder the further back in time they have to go. While 2002 might not be the middle ages, it is still light years away from where we are now; let’s face it, with the rate the world runs at today, five years is equivalent to at least ten. That being said, this crack team always manages to get the job done.
The tragic part of tonight’s story is the fact that the victim’s own family seemed to sell him down the river and take advantage of his incredible abilities. Being a math whiz means the kid could have accomplished all kinds of things, had he lived long enough to realize his potential. Unfortunately, thanks to his brother, the biggest thing he ended up accomplishing was counting cards and opening safes for a local gang. This may also have something to do with his untimely death, or at least it gives Lilly (Kathryn Morris) and her team a place in which to start their new investigation. But as we all know, their first lead is just that, the first step on their journey to finding justice.
Turns out it can be hard being a genius when everybody else around you is just struggling to get by. Growing up in the inner city is difficult enough, but when you have a higher IQ than those around you, including your own family, it doesn’t tend to be something you brag about. That may explain why tonight’s murder victim seemed so eager to help his brother with the local gang members. Every kid wants to belong, and when your father is in prison and your mother is busy with two or three jobs, trying to make enough to put food on the table, most people look for anybody else who will make them feel wanted. With a talent like safe cracking, you tend to be pretty popular in the rougher neighborhoods of America. However, you also tend to have a shorter lifespan.
As if losing his brother weren’t bad enough, even though he may have had something to do with it, the victim’s older sibling has ended up in a wheelchair. Like I said, living in the inner city can be rough, genius or not. And it turns out that some of the other people involved in the victim’s last months of life haven’t faired much better. Some ended up in the same position as the victim, while others are living peacefully in prison. Meanwhile, Lilly is still dealing with her own shooting experience. Perhaps this case hits a bit close to home for her, but she seems to be painfully on edge. I guess a bullet will do that do you. Still, the verbal attack on her psychiatrist felt a bit unwarranted. But these real-life experiences are what make Lilly such a great detective, which is why she seems to see right through some of tonight’s witnesses and their lies.
Ironically, the murder victim’s first attempt at breaking the law ended up being a robbery at the home of a man who was into numbers himself. Intrigued with the model airplanes and sets of equations he found at this house, the victim decided to return what he had taken. It could have been his way out, had he not been killed shortly thereafter. A kind word and a helping hand is all most people need, which is what he appeared to be getting from his new role-model, that is until the victim’s wayward father got out of prison and decided to look his kids up. Since the father is the person that got the case opened up again, the cold case team was already familiar with his conning ways. Of course, that doesn’t mean he was the cause of his youngest son’s death. In fact, the doer often turns out to be the person we viewers expect the least.
Sadly, this story ends as most of them do, with a betrayal of the worst kind. After throwing a card game, which cost a gang banger a lot of money, the victim’s brothers was sent to take care of the situation. He might not have ever shot his brother, if he wasn’t filled with jealousy and rage. Having a baby brother with the talent and ability to reach a better life was bad enough, but when their father seemed to choose the youngest of his sons over the other, it was too much for the older sibling to bear. All of these factors combined caused him to shoot his own flesh and blood. Like I said, this story ends with a betrayal of the worst kind.