By Jennifer Larson
Tonight we go back to 1999, after the bodies of three boys, who went missing in a four-year span, are found in separate storage units. With the discovery of a fourth boy’s body, in yet another storage unit, the cold case team springs into action. It turns out that all four units are owned by the same person, so you know right off the bat who the first suspect is going to be. But the investigation doesn’t stop there. As we all know, there is usually a web of evidence and witnesses that have to be broken through before the real answer is found. Sadly, the murders of young children are usually the hardest cases for even the most experienced detectives to crack. That may be because nobody wants to believe there are people in the world who are evil enough to harm a child. But if this show has taught us nothing else, it’s taught us that none of us are safe from the dangers that lurk around every corner.
As I’ve said before, I believe that’s why viewers have taken to COLD CASE in such a big way. We all want to believe that justice is fair and swift, unfortunately it’s not. Watching a show whose characters not only care about the murder of every single person, no matter how long ago it was and no matter who the person was, gives us the sense of fair play and closure that is so lacking in our society today. That being said, COLD CASE also provides us with pure old-fashioned entertainment. That may sound a little morbid, considering the subject matter, but detective shows have been a main staple in TV since its inception. Let’s face it everybody likes unraveling a mystery, and shows like this allow us to play along with them. I know my mind starts racing trying to figure out who done it, the minute the case is put before me. And tonight’s episode kept me guessing until the very end.
What starts out as a missing person’s case quickly turns into murder, after the body of the latest abducted boy is found. Once Lilly (Kathryn Morris) and the rest of her team figure out there were three other storage units rented under the same name over the past eight years, the rest of the bodies are found as well. Because they were all kept in a freezer, the bodies are freakishly preserved. The only good part about that is the fact that it makes it easier to identify the missing children. However, that means this case has turned into every law enforcements nightmare, a serial killing. And the worst part is this serial killer hungers after young black boys who come from the rougher side of the street. As if life isn’t hard enough in the inner city, the parents of these Philly neighborhoods now have to worry about some freak that’s after their children.
To make matters worse, the parents of the missing boys were all told their kids had probably run off to do drugs and would eventually come back. That’s the dirty little secret in America … lower income families aren’t taken as seriously as the upper class are, until a murder slaps the police right in the face, that is. Granted there is a lot more trouble for these kids to get into, but a serial killer is something even the most harden cop can’t ignore. When a video of the latest victim is found, Lilly and Scotty (Danny Pinto) get their first clue as to who, or what, the killer is. Seeing the conditions the fourth boy was left in leaves Lilly a bit shaken, as well it should, but it also gives the team an idea of the mindset of the doer. Because all the victims were young boys, the logical place to look is someplace children gather, like a carnival.
Sure enough they find a trail of clues that lead them in the right direction. This guy stakes out his marks at a particular video game. The theory is that the killer was abused as a child and is reliving his horrible youth through the kids he abducts and murders. Luring children through a video game is especially cruel; I mean these games mesmerize even the most mature child out there. I guess it’s the 21st century version of enticing a child by having them help you look for a lost puppy. But the reality is, it’s a lost soul who has committed these horrific acts.
Tonight’s episode of COLD CASE is a painful example of how deep and far-reaching child abuse is. The killer was once a young abuse victim himself, and he is trying to avenge the harm that was done to him by recreating the torture he was put through by an especially cruel counselor at the boy’s home he lived in. So once again, this show has shined a spotlight on the dirtier side of our society, and given the viewers a sense of at least a little bit of justice in the process. That’s just one reason why we keep coming back for more.