S01.E18: Scheherazade

[Trini]

When an up-and-coming ballet dancer is mysteriously poisoned, the NYPD dives deep into the rigorous world of dance. Meanwhile, Jessica reunites with an old friend, socialite Nicholas Endicott (guest star Dermot Mulroney), and Bright and Eve turn to Martin for answers regarding the girl in the box.

Airdate: March 30, 2020

[Sandman]

"...danseur Nobel"? Uhh. Nope.

Why would the show make a point of "correcting" an improper pronunciation with a worse one? That's just stupid.

[redfish]

Wait, I'm confused. DId he let her go or did he kill her even after she told him about Endicott.

Ha! Edrissa is blatantly flirting with Malcolm and trying to get to know his mother.

Wait a second. Gil seeing Jessica with Endicott. Does Gil have feelings for Jessica?

Does Martin have a playlist of his kills to remember.

Only this show would say what's worse than a serial killer: a billionaire philanthropist. How awful could he be? Sorry Martin, but no matter how terrible Endicott is, you're still a predatory psychopath. I wonder if Endicott brought the Javier's former ballet teacher to kill Javier.

Her phone call from the asylum to "Mr. David" (but really Martin) was classic passive aggressive Jessica especially the ref to Page 6. "Ta Tah!"

There were a lot of creepy lines.

"It's hard to be good when you're better than everyone else." Brrrrr. A chilly in here.

"Do not step across the red line." 

"I can always do more damage"

"If you love her. Stop her." How dangerous is Endicott?

 

Edited March 31, 2020 by redfish

[AnimeMania]

Scheherazade refers to the Ballet and to Eve's sister.

[sempervivum]

Maybe I missed some previous revelation about the Surgeon, but why was that old Jim Croce song playing over his flashback to one of his killings (the 'girl in the box', I guess?)? Crusty 50 year old folk rock doesn't really scream 'urbane genius serial killer' to me.

[Chaos Theory]

Jessica sure does have a type doesn’t she?    
 

i knew the girl in the box was probably not dead but it’s going to be interesting to find out where she has been all this time because Martin is right they’ve all been searching for someone who doesn’t want to be found 

i liked how the murder coincided with Malcolm’s trauma.     Also I can see Jessica making him take ballet and Malcolm actually being good at it.  

Edited March 31, 2020 by Chaos Theory

[Roxie]

10 hours ago, redfish said:

10 hours ago, redfish said:

Wait a second. Gil seeing Jessica with Endicott. Does Gil have feelings for Jessica?

I’ve suspected this for some time. It looked like they were going in for a kiss in the preview. 

[Lady Calypso]

11 hours ago, redfish said:

Wait, I'm confused. DId he let her go or did he kill her even after she told him about Endicott.

It's interesting because the ending made it seem like he COULD have been lying to Malcolm and Eve and that he, indeed, killed Sophie anyway. I would actually really like that interpretation, because that would mean that Martin got better at lying to Malcolm.

But, it seems like, for now, he was telling the truth and Eve will go find her sister. Though I predict, after what Martin told Malcolm about the Girl In the Box situation, we could very well see Eve's head in a box in a future package for Malcolm. I don't think Eve is making it alive out of this series, if the show is renewed for a second season. 

No surprise Dermot Mulroney's character is evil. I knew he would have been cast for a much bigger role. And of course he's somehow worse than The Surgeon. He probably is some sort of mob boss or whatever and has more kills than Martin. But that also doesn't erase the bad in Martin. It's more that Nicholas is probably just more devious and has more people working for him. 

But this is also Martin's interpretation that Nicholas is worse than him, because he's also still trying to downplay his actions a bit to impress his son. 

I did enjoy the ballet murder case. I knew that it would be revealed that Malcolm was a ballet dancer at one point, just because he was acting a bit cagey with the information. But it was still a fantastic reveal. 

Ok...fine, show. You got me shipping Edrissa and Malcolm A LITTLE BIT. Even though they're more likely to go down the Malcolm/Dani route, I really enjoy Edrissa/Malcolm's scenes. Edrissa is hardcore flirting with Malcolm and he isn't objecting. He even seems to enjoy it at this point.

So, Eve did get a phone call directly from Martin halfway through the episode, right? And then they never went back to if Eve actually talked to him, which made me think for a moment that she did end up talking to Martin before Malcolm and that Martin/Eve concocted something by the end. But that doesn't really make no sense, so I'll chalk it up to weird editing.

11 hours ago, redfish said:

Wait a second. Gil seeing Jessica with Endicott. Does Gil have feelings for Jessica?

I'm pretty sure the show has been heading down a Gil/Jessica road. I've suspected very early on in the series and I'm pretty sure they'll go there at some point. With how often Jessica turns to Gil, and how often Gil defends Jessica to Malcolm, I expect it to happen. 

I will say, if this had been the season finale, I wouldn't have been mad. It actually would have made for a great season closer. It closed some doors and opened some new ones. 

[tennisgurl]

I was wondering about the title and how it would pay off (just naming it after the ballet seemed a bit much) but it ended up paying off really well as it turned out. Scheherazade is, of course, the heroine and narrator of 1,001 Arabian Nights, who managed to stop the king from marrying a killing and new bride every night by marrying him, and then keeping him from killing her by telling a series of exciting stories every night, with each story lapping into a different one or ending on a cliffhanger, until he fell in love with her and decided not to kill her or any other woman and she became queen (and presumably drank a very large glass of water after talking almost nonstop for years) which ties in really well with Eves sister and her telling Martin a long exciting story to keep him from killing her. So is she alive and is avoiding her sister (maybe because she knew too much and didn't want to put her in danger?) or has Martin got better at lying and did kill her? I like that its kind of ambiguous, it gives us an answer about the Girl in the Box, but also opens up even more questions. 

It is kind of hilarious that Sophie apparently was being targeted by some kind of super rich evil mastermind, only for her to get kidnapped by some totally unrelated serial killer. That girl has amazingly terrible luck, no matter if she is dead or alive now! 

Yeah, of course they wont hire Dermot Mulroney just to be Jessica's new love interest, he has to be a new villain. I guess he could have a bigger body count than Martin, although Martin is still very much a horrible monster asshole. Martin is a prolific serial killer, but he was just a guy with a knife. Maybe this other guy is running a massive drug cartel? Human trafficking? Funding wars abroad or terrorism? Oh yeah, I totally saw Gil getting jealous and annoyed when he saw Jessica with Dermot Mulroney, I totally saw it! They are absolutely going to become a thing, and its going to drive Martin absolutely nuts. 

Speaking of, Martin and Jessica banter is always hilarious, between Jessica's passive aggressiveness and Martins constantly misplaced priorities. "Still alive? Pity." "SHE STRUCK ME!"

Edrissa is so obviously hitting on Malcolm, and he seems...not NOT into it. She even wanted to meet his mom! 

I kept waiting for the reveal that Malcolm had a background in ballet, but the reveal was still pretty great. Action spin! I can totally see Malcolm doing ballet growing up, it seems like something Jessica would have signed him up for, and I feel like he probably would have been pretty good at it. Even now, he is rather graceful in how he moves....when he isn't flailing around in a panic or hallucination of course. 

Interestingly, Law and Order SVU also had a mystery set in the ballet as their most recent episode. This one was quite a bit better. 

Edited March 31, 2020 by tennisgurl

[Roxie]

Does anyone know is this was a true depiction of ballet culture?  Is the prima really that powerful?

[Morrigan2575]

I'm really enjoying this show, they've full on embraced the wacky and it's awesome.

The show has been foreshadowing Gil/Jessica for awhile now and I'm totally down with it.  

I really enjoy Edrisa and Malcolm and i have to say the last couple of episodes Malcolm seems to be into it, not exactly flirting back but, not acting awkward about it either.

I kind of figured Dermot Mulroney would end up being a ship blocker, love the idea that he's a Bigger Bad than Malcolm.  The funny (not really) thing is people who kill for power/money would probably end up having more kills under their belt.  It's just those kills are run of the mill (shooting, stabbing, etc).  Martin/serial killers are marked by the gore and sensationalism.

I have to say i loved the end credits, way fun, good on you show for having fun with it.

[Regalbegal]

This was the type of episode I was hoping for last week.  Good job!

3 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I was wondering about the title and how it would pay off (just naming it after the ballet seemed a bit much) but it ended up paying off really well as it turned out.

Yes, this was a much smoother, more subtle theme than what they did with "Count of Monte Christo".   It applied to the ballet, Eve's sister, and to a certain extent Martin himself telling stories to keep Malcom coming back.  It is still unclear whether he is telling the truth this time or not.  I still wonder if he did kill Sophie and Malcom had a (perhaps inadvertent, like stopping her from escaping?) role in her death, which might explain his subconscious torturing him. 

16 hours ago, sempervivum said:

why was that old Jim Croce song playing over his flashback to one of his killings (the 'girl in the box', I guess?)? Crusty 50 year old folk rock doesn't really scream 'urbane genius serial killer' to me.

I guess they were trying to contrast the mellow tune with the grim surroundings (and I liked that we got to see Martin in action and being truly menacing).  For some reason I have always found Jim Croce's music inexplicably creepy (maybe because of how he died?) so it worked for me. 

5 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

I did enjoy the ballet murder case. I knew that it would be revealed that Malcolm was a ballet dancer at one point, just because he was acting a bit cagey with the information. But it was still a fantastic reveal. 

It was telegraphed, but still a fun reveal. And given that he is a lithe little guy, one could definitely see him "showing promise"! 

More Mr. David, please. He is all mood, and I love it.  The April Fool's thing at the end was a nice/silly way to end things before the break...

[TiffanyNichelle]

1 hour ago, Regalbegal said:

 The April Fool's thing at the end was a nice/silly way to end things before the break...

The April Fool's theme beginning was perfect. The only kind of prank I can deal with right now.

I don't know why I was so surprised about Eve's sister still being alive. I should have seen it coming. It was the perfect twist, the only victim they couldn't find or identify? Yes.

[foxfreakinmulder]

2 hours ago, Regalbegal said:

The April Fool's thing at the end was a nice/silly way to end things before the break...

I watch on HULU and missed this, what was it?

Good episode. I knew Eve would end up in front of Martin just thought it would be his idea to meet her in exchange for information. I now believe her sister is alive.

I knew when we met Dermot he would be a bad guy but I got a kick out of Gil's reactions when he saw them together. And of course, Edrissa disagreeing about the dead Cuban ballet dancer being the most beautiful man in New York while looking at Malcom, lol. 

[Regalbegal]

40 minutes ago, foxfreakinmulder said:

I watch on HULU and missed this, what was it?

It started out as sort of opening credits for a '90s-style family sitcom.  One thing I love about this show is that TPTB don't take themselves too seriously! 

[Chaos Theory]

The show makes less sense if Martin killed Sophie.   There is something about that night that really freaks him out so there is something he isn’t telling Malcolm and Eve but I am almost positive that the sister is still alive.   The story makes more sense that way.   Plus it adds to Malcolm’s trauma if that night tipped her over the edge to full fledged psychopath herself and the innocent victim of The Surgeon is anything but.

Plus the show has been hinting that there are worse things out there then Martin.   And that Martin has his share of “allies” it would be interesting if Sophie was that.

[Trizzi Trace]

1.  Now I finally know how to pronounce Scheherazade

2.  The Prima was played by the same actress who played Nina if there are any fans of "The Americans" in this group.  I guess the heavy Russian accent she used in that show was a fake; definitely fooled me!

3. I wish they'd just drop the crime of the week and devote the show to Martin's shenanigans.  When I mentioned this to my mom, she said I sound like I have a crush on Martin.  Which I kinda do.  Which is really, really disturbing.

[AnimeMania]

There was a little clue that Malcolm took Ballet, watch the way he jumps over the fallen curtain when chasing the bad guy.

[springbarb]

12 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

Ok...fine, show. You got me shipping Edrissa and Malcolm A LITTLE BIT. Even though they're more likely to go down the Malcolm/Dani route, I really enjoy Edrissa/Malcolm's scenes. Edrissa is hardcore flirting with Malcolm and he isn't objecting. He even seems to enjoy it at this point.

He's certainly very pleased when he knows something and she compliments him on it.  They're cute, though I wish Malcolm wouldn't play into it so much if he's not interested in her.

Michael Sheen is REALLY good in this. His reactions to Eve in that first scene together were excellent. He does well at both charming and very threatening.

[Sweet Tooth]

On 3/30/2020 at 7:50 PM, redfish said:

Wait a second. Gil seeing Jessica with Endicott. Does Gil have feelings for Jessica?

OMG. They were pissing all over each other through the whole show. 

I guess Jessica has a type. Both men are really suave and charming. But you can tell that underneath there's something sinister, and you just have to scratch the surface to find it.

I like when they remind us Daddy isn't really this funny, charming, harmless guy who tells bad puns. But it's interesting to see how he could have lured people in and fooled them.

I always had a feeling the girl in the box was alive.

 

[Trini]

Just because this is a 'solving murders show' doesn't mean everything needs to be literally dark. They need to stop putting that darkening filter on everything; I'd like to be able to see the actors.

I know it's typical to throw in some red herrings for who the murderer is, but I thought the stuff with the dancers sabotaging each other confused things a little too much.

Wow, Girl in the Box is alive? That's a real twist! Replacing one mystery with another, and giving an excuse for Eve to exit.

I gotta say, I did NOT like the element of Malcolm's family when I started watching this, but I think they've fleshed them out some, and found a good balance with the other parts of the show, and they've won me over. Now they need to work on the police characters.

 

13 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

...

It is kind of hilarious that Sophie apparently was being targeted by some kind of super rich evil mastermind, only for her to get kidnapped by some totally unrelated serial killer. That girl has amazingly terrible luck, no matter if she is dead or alive now! 

...

Yeah, this was the part that was really wackier than usual. Quite the coincidence!

 

11 hours ago, Morrigan2575 said:

...

I really enjoy Edrisa and Malcolm and i have to say the last couple of episodes Malcolm seems to be into it, not exactly flirting back but, not acting awkward about it either.

...

I like how they're handling it! Unlike most other shows with a similar situation, Malcolm does seem to like her back - not in the exact same way, of course.

[Perfect Xero]

If I was sitting on blackmail information about an, apparently, extremely dangerous man, I don't know that I would accept an invitation to the home of a total stranger.

[UnknownK]

3 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

Martin is a moron.  Sophie being alive is a good thing for Eve, not a bad thing.  Eve is just happy that Sophie most likely is still alive.

Or a bad thing if she goes looking for her sister and they both get killed plus puts Martin in the killers crosshairs.

[hookedontv]

On 4/1/2020 at 2:41 AM, Trini said:

I gotta say, I did NOT like the element of Malcolm's family when I started watching this, but I think they've fleshed them out some, and found a good balance with the other parts of the show, and they've won me over. Now they need to work on the police characters.

Me too! At first, I thought the family stuff just got in the way and I must have been the only one in the world who didn't like Jessica or the actress that played her. Perhaps because she also played Hotch's girlfriend years ago on Criminal Minds, but I digress...

I like the flow of the family dynamics now. This episode had minimal Ainsley which for me, is still a good thing. Still haven't warmed up to her. 

Overall I like this show and I'm always down for Lou Diamond Phillips. 

[nodorothyparker]

I love that this show really leans into just how batshit insane its entire premise is.  It has such a great sense of humor about itself that really saves it from just being another procedural with the bonus of a resident serial killer thrown in.  The ballet murder was gloriously over the top.

Kudos, show, for figuring out a way to keep the story going even after we got an ID for the girl in the box.  So either she's dead and Martin has used all of his copious free time to get even better at lying and Malcolm isn't quite as sharp as he thinks he is, or he's telling the truth and she really is out there somewhere along with something even bigger and badder than he is.  Last episode was the first time we got anything resembling a coherent memory from Malcolm that led him to be pretty sure she was dead, but now we're back to the drawing board of wondering if he was just a scared addled kid on that trip and he doesn't remember quite what he thinks he does or how he could have confused that.  For every piece they turn over, there's two more that don't exactly line up.  

Beyond that, love the passive aggressiveness that is Martin and Jessica.  "A heart attack wouldn't be the worst thing."  "Sorry to disappoint, my dear, but I'm still quite alive."  On Martin trying to helicopter parent Malcolm like he's still an impressionable teen who needs to be kept away from the bad influence of Eve:  "She struck me, Jessica. She struck me!"  "Did she?  I like her even better now."  Only Jessica could wear that opening dress with the giant ruffle and not be a completely ridiculous parody of herself on her way to prove she really does have the absolute worst taste in men.

You know Mr. David has seen and heard some things and is just over it.

 

[methodwriter85]

On 3/31/2020 at 9:19 AM, Chaos Theory said:

Jessica sure does have a type doesn’t she?    
 

i knew the girl in the box was probably not dead but it’s going to be interesting to find out where she has been all this time because Martin is right they’ve all been searching for someone who doesn’t want to be found 

i liked how the murder coincided with Malcolm’s trauma.     Also I can see Jessica making him take ballet and Malcolm actually being good at it.  

Malcolm totally looks like he'd be good at dance with that nice lithe body of his. 

[rove4]

On 3/31/2020 at 9:10 AM, Lady Calypso said:

Edrissa is hardcore flirting with Malcolm and he isn't objecting. He even seems to enjoy it at this point.

 

Malcolm always looks embarrassed and uncomfortable, IMO, in the face of Edrisa's flirting.  If their roles were reversed, it would be skating very close to sexual harassment and it wouldn't be considered cute or funny. The double standard axe swings both ways.