S01.E07: The Cop

[formerlyfreedom]

Ben visits a prison inmate who provides information that might prove Detective Cornell is pushing the boundaries of the law. As he attempts to bring Cornell down, an anonymous tip puts the spotlight back on Ben as the prime suspect, and the Crawford family finally collapses under the strain.

[AncientSand]

Is it sad that I came here to check if my DVR messed up?  I really need to review my viewing choices.

[LeGrandElephant]

Mine didn't record anything last night ... I guess it wasn't on?

[formerlyfreedom]

No it was not - this is next week's episode!

[North of Eden]

Well, I know I will be stepping into the minority camp here but since there series began I have kept watching FOR Detective Cornell.  Honestly I think she  is the best part of the show. Her scenes previously had an energy to them because of just how CONTROLLED she is if that makes any sense. I like the way she can parry anything Ben says to her and twist it back on him. Juliette Lewis doing a wonderful job and I think this is the best I have seen her. So a Cornell centric episode was right up my alley.

As said she keeps me watching because the rest of it can just be trying. I mean the protagonist has to be the dumbest box of rocks ever they way he keeps doing everything you shouldn’t do as the prime murder suspect all the while destroying the lives of his friends and neighbors around him. And then there is his wife…I don’t know if it is the actress (who looks like a poor man’s Kim Raver) or character but I know there is no one else on any other show right now that is just a lifeless killjoy (well Sandrine Holt’s character on THE RETURNED is a close second). She sucks the life right out of this show whenever she is on screen.

 

Lastly I don’t understand setting the store during the holidays when you know you are filming in  the dead of summer in North Carolina. A few token references to a heat wave doesn’t cut it. I’ve never been to North Carolina but I am sure that on its warmest day in December it doesn’t look like July out. Why not make the setting say a San Diego suberb or something. Why North Carolina? Hopefully the holiday will have some bearing on the plot by seasons  end to justify it.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Did those neighbours actually bring out their glasses of wine to watch Ben's family walk out on him?  Because - LOL - that seems so over the top and not appropriate...   Like I like wine as much as other people but...  I'd hope I'd put the glass down.

 

I was flipping between this and Last Man on Earth -- talk about a disconnect.  What happened when the cops were searching the grounds at the mall?

Edited April 13, 2015 by Ms Blue Jay

[Sandman]

So, I'm thinking it's not a coincidence that Christy and her brother had variations on the line "When I see a problem, I fix it."

 

I did wonder if Backyard Dave told the cops where to look for the dumped flashlight. But, man, Ben just keeps making it worse.

 

I also worry about Abby now. Her freakout was clearly meant to be Significant with a capital Screech.

[Madding crowd]

This show is so over the top. Cornell is allowed to come to Ben's home several times a day and he never thinks to have the lawyer put a stop to it. He thinks nothing of inviting her in to shoot the breeze. There is also no reason in the world for Ben to have gone to see Cornell's daughter. If he is innocent he could just stay the course and let the attorney handle things. Even if the girl had been someone railroaded by Cornell, how could she help Ben?

 

Then, burying the flashlight in a shallow hole right near the shopping center had to be the stupidest thing ever. I would guess Dave is somehow involved, both in telling the cops and in retrieving it. Just find a deep lake to throw it in Ben.

 

I don't like Christy and even though I wouldn't be happy about my husband cheating on me and being secretive, but she has secrets of her own and was also cheating it seems. Ben really is the most put-upon suspect since Jean Valjean. 

[lasandi]

I am getting sick of this show. I am tired of all the stupid mistakes Ben keeps making. Keep your ass home and stop flying around town looking crazy. Although I don't think he is guilty, I am sick of his victim face, if that makes any sense. I started out on his side mostly becuz I believe him innocent and I have a warm spot in my heart for the actor who I used to watch on One Life to Live. But that has since worn off, LOL, and I want this show to get to the point and come to an end.

[mertensia]

Kristy came off as spectacularly bitchy though she did have a point about being sick of Lying Ben who Keeps Digging a Deeper Hole For Himself. Yep I can see his accusation about her feeling like she married beneath her. Also Kristy: when both daughters want to stayed with Accused of Murder Dad instead of you and wealthy uncle, you might want to look at youself in the mirror.

Outburst from Abby confirms my idea that she did it. Killing Tom meant her family would be together again.

Ben is a conman's dream. "Of course I'm being honest".

[Mama No Life]

So I was a tiny bit impressed with the twist of Cornell actually being decent at her job. I thought they were going to go the railroad path, and in some ways I guess they are, but I was glad when it turned out that Cornell's daughter and the reporter were actually guilty of something, as was Sethwhatever.  Little less predictable. I also was amused that Ben outed Linda since I don't approve of leaks from crime labs to reporters. 

 

I really wish Christy was guilty b/c I hate her ass. My line of thinking now is she anonymously tipped cops to the mall woods, but Dave had moved it.  Or viceversa. I don't know.  I'll be glad when this thing wraps up.

 

Did this show actually shoot in Charlotte? B/c it doesn't rain that much here....

[TheodoraK]

i don't know what is wrong with me. i hate that i even try to watch this crap. well, i guess i'm hate watching. partly it's morbid curiosity to see if Ryan Phillipe can manage to display a facial expression that isn't just "I am constipated and pissed off but mostly really constipated. also, i am a 6 year old brat trapped in an idiotic man's body. and, oh yes, i'm really really constipated. being accused of murder is rough on the digestive system." and i also watch to see if Cornell ever gets any help with the Terminal TMJ. if clenching your teeth and causing the jaw bones to stick out in a creepy way is an acting choice? then juliette lewis should get an emmy. i need to go to IMDB and see who is responsible for this travesty.

[mwell345]

 

Did this show actually shoot in Charlotte? B/c it doesn't rain that much here....

 

It filmed in Wilmington NC. 

 

I have to admit I'm getting bored with this show and only half payed attention, and sadly, the most interesting part for me was the commercial promoting the Bruce Jenner interview on April 24.  I did not know that had been scheduled, so it wasn't a total loss, I guess.

[sjohnson]

I'm not sure what this episode is supposed to tell us about Cornell. The show has withheld her reasons for excluding Jess and accepting Scott/Nicole's mutual alibi at face value, so I can't judge that. But she herself has said correctly that the murder was premeditated. But this episode she's accusing Ben of open entry with Jess' knowledge and suggesting that Ben murdered Tom without premeditation! This is a great way to try to shake up Ben but contradicts the facts. We are in the dark until we know what Cornell really thinks about Jess. The blue jacket hasn't been explained either. Melissa Gilbert and the law of casting makes this very suggestive.

 

I was wrong about Cornell leaking. But if she's going to be more Javert than a testilying cop? Then, we have to wonder if the flashlight was found but she's finally catching on that she doesn't have very much of a case against Ben. In the classic triad of motive, means and opportunity, she's got circumstantial evidence against motive. As for the means, it wouldn't have been difficult for anyone to get the flashlight. As for opportunity, Ben is now documented as being not in good condition to persuade a boy to go out into the woods with him. But it is known that Christy was out (and lying about it,) which means she can't furnish a solid alibi for either daughter either. And Dave was openly admitted to be out and about alone. If Cornell really is a Javert, she must realize that burying the flashlight could be either a panic reaction or have been done to protect someone else. 

 

We've seen stuff that showed Ben didn't do the crime. So the killer must have put the flashlight back into the truck either  as a safer place to hide it, as it had already been searched. Or to deliberately put it into Ben's hands. I disagree that Ben has done so much to ruin his case. But although it might have been more prudent in the long run to have left the flashlight there without touching it and called Cornell immediately, Cornell's behavior certainly gave him grounds for thinking she wouldn't consider anything he said about it reappearing without his knowledge. Further, almost of the seemingly crazy stuff Ben has done has been a desperate attempt to avoid thinking about the possible role of his own family. This kind of denialism may not be cunning but it does seem human, if flawed. (Flawed heroes are only popular if the flaws are sexy not-really-flaws, like being a torturer a la Daredevil.) 

 

PS Christmas in Australia is a summertime holiday.

Edited April 13, 2015 by sjohnson

[Fable]

Outburst from Abby confirms my idea that she did it. Killing Tom meant her family would be together again.

 

I definitely think there is something very strange going on with Abby..  However, I don't think she actually killed Tom, if only because I'd find it hard to believe that ABC would go there on a prime time broadcast.  I'm thinking Dave or Christy.  One or both of them most certainly had something to do with the tip to the police and the flash light disappearing.   If not Dave or Christy, then one of them knows something and is helping to cover it. 

 

My working theory for now is that Christy probably did it and Abby knows but is afraid to say anything, and is freaking out about it. 

Edited April 13, 2015 by Fable

[basiltherat]

Is it possible that the flashlight was planted and it is not the real murder weapon.  Planted by who, I can't be bothered to think about, but I hope ALL WILL BE REVEALED in two weeks.  And no second season like the dumb Dome!

[Sandman]

Was this the first we heard about Christy's brother Michael being gay? Or I have just ... not been paying attention?

[sjohnson]

"Is it possible that the flashlight was planted and it is not the real murder weapon."

 

 

A fascinating thought. I had thought hat the killer was having trouble leaving for a safe dump site for the flashlight without being known to have left. (Which is why Ben taking a trip on his own to a deep lake wasn't as good an idea as might first appear i think.)  But whether Cornell is honest or not, she definitely believes that unrelenting pressure and hostility is the way to confront her favorite suspect. So I could see her planting one to freak Ben out?

Edited April 13, 2015 by sjohnson

[jackjill89]

Was this the first we heard about Christy's brother Michael being gay? Or I have just ... not been paying attention?

I think this is the first we've heard about it. You have to watch the Cornell Confidential on abc.com. Interesting tidbit about him.

[basiltherat]

I know ABC (and all channels) want you to go to their website for whatever reasons (monetary I am sure), but I feel cheated that I as the live viewer are not getting the entire story.  If I have to look for stuff, I will lose interest.  This is not Lost, after all.

[Sandman]

Thank goodness for that! (If the marketing theme for this series had been "Like Lost, but more murder-y," I would have stayed the hell away.)

[QueerGirrl]

I know Ben cheated on Christy and she has the right to be mad, etc. but she gets on my ever-lovin' nerves and I was so glad when he threw her ass out the house.  I was like "Hit the bricks sister!!!"  Too bad the kids went with but that part was understandable, as I wouldn't leave him alone with a goldfish at this point!

Edited April 13, 2015 by QueerGirrl

[sjohnson]

If I understood it properly, Christy admitted an affair with Sam her client, but claimed it didn't start till after she found out about Jess. I've never been sure that Christy didn't figure out Jess and Tom before the fight though. Also, screwing around while the family is under siege seems cold even for her. 

 

I believe Ben was correct in laying the blame for the call to the police on Michael. And I think he's also correct to think it was Michael who paid Timothy Busfield whose character name I forgot. 

[RedheadZombie]

I don't like Christy and even though I wouldn't be happy about my husband cheating on me and being secretive, but she has secrets of her own and was also cheating it seems. Ben really is the most put-upon suspect since Jean Valjean.

Then they're a good pair - Cornell is clearly an Inspector Javert. Can't wait for her to jump off the bridge.

[Rick Kitchen]

I'm hoping Busfield is actually representing Ben and doesn't have an agenda to tank the defense.

[Sandman]

Intentionally tanking a client would probably be against Big Fancy Lawyer Weston's (I don't know; he'll always be Elliot to me) professional and financial interest, I think.

Edited April 14, 2015 by Sandman

[Kjharrison]

" that's the last ultimatum you give me. Go." Hell yes! Just when I was about to give up on this show.

Edited April 15, 2015 by Kjharrison

[LeGrandElephant]

I definitely think there is something very strange going on with Abby.. However, I don't think she actually killed Tom, if only because I'd find it hard to believe that ABC would go there on a prime time broadcast.

I keep seeing people say this ... But I dont really get the logic. Is this a theory just about ABC or about all primetime networks? Because I don't really pay that much attention to what channel stuff is on, but what channel aired ... [my iPad won't let me do spoiler bars and I don't want to ruin that other stupid show for anyone, but if you watched it you'd know the show I mean, primetime American network show where a kid ended up having done it.]

If this is about network TV and not something just about ABC, I mean, I think law and order SVU is a primetime show on a network channel and they'll go there with anything.

And I'm constantly shocked (usually in a good way) by what's on ABC Family these days, only because I remember it as the family channel.

Edited April 15, 2015 by LeGrandElephant

[LoveIsJoy]

My biggest reaction to this episode is amazement that Ben and I have the same Christmas wrapping paper! Except I didn't wrap a potential murder weapon in mine. Plus, I bought that paper about three.years ago. I always wonder whose job it is to acquire random bits and pieces (like gift wrap) for production.

[BonnieD]

I will never understand why characters in these shows even hold on to evidence. Once he decided not to turn in the flashlight, he should've immediately taken it to the deepest lake he could find, fill it with rocks so it would never resurface, and throw it in. What was the point in keeping it at hand for days, for wrapping it like a Christmas present for God's sake? So ridiculously stupid to try to hide it in plain sight. And then to get rid of it WHILE IN THE MIDDLE OF GOING TO A PARTY! He deserves to go to prison, guilty or not, just for being so damn dumb.

 

As for whodunit...I can't help but going back again and again to Mr. Comic Relief best friend guy. I don't know why, but I'm just feeling it.

For heaven's sake, I hope this is a one season and done series. Are they calling it a mini series or not? There is no way it could be padded out any longer than a couple more episodes. And dumb as it is, I don't want it cancelled before the killer's identity is revealed.
 

[sjohnson]

^^^Taking off to a lake risks being stopped by the police who have been keeping an eye on his movements. Also, a prolonged trip for unexplained reasons would have been very suspicious. The show actually cheated a little. The chances that Christy would actually have left the girls behind to buy a present for Michael, then found the car in a mall parking lot at Christmas before Ben got back from a rather quick trip, is a bit of a stretch. Enough so, you have to wonder if she wasn't trying to catch Ben (implying she knew about the flashlight all along.)

[Andromeda]

i don't know what is wrong with me. i hate that i even try to watch this crap. well, i guess i'm hate watching. partly it's morbid curiosity to see if Ryan Phillipe can manage to display a facial expression that isn't just "I am constipated and pissed off but mostly really constipated. also, i am a 6 year old brat trapped in an idiotic man's body. and, oh yes, i'm really really constipated. being accused of murder is rough on the digestive system." and i also watch to see if Cornell ever gets any help with the Terminal TMJ. if clenching your teeth and causing the jaw bones to stick out in a creepy way is an acting choice? then juliette lewis should get an emmy. i need to go to IMDB and see who is responsible for this travesty.

All I think about when Ryan Phillippe makes that face is how tiny his mouth is. Tiny tiny mouth man.

 

Dumping the flashlight at a crowded shopping mall -- with security cameras -- is really pretty stupid. Why didn't crazy drunk rascal friend get rid of it from him? Also stupid to disguise it as a present when you have kids in the house. Kids always take inventory of the presents under the tree.

 

I think the wife purposefully told her brother about her husband's suspicious movements, knowing he'd call the cops. Beyatch.

Edited April 15, 2015 by Andromeda

[GracieK]

I love this show.. it's my guilty pleasure, and I have to say I don't get a lot of the complaints about it.

 

I, like one of the posters above, actually love Cornell.  I was never particularly a fan of Juliette Lewis, but I think she plays this role spectacularly.  I'm actually glad her character isn't crooked because I like her so much.  I like Ben too and I understand his frustration with her, but I read her as more steady, patient, and measured then as close minded or calculating.  Although presenting Ben with all that evidence including pictures of his dead son was over the top and I do think she did it to get personal because he visited her daughter.. but hey I guess even Detective Cornell is human.

 

I don't know if this has been mentioned or talked about but I wonder if Christy actually had the abortion because the child wasn't Ben's.  I don't know how that would necessarily fit into the storyline but I just find it really strange for a married woman with 2 children to have an abortion.  That's just me personally.

 

Also, I guess Christy's brother is paying for the fancy expensive lawyer?  That's where the $25K cashiers check came from?  I don't know if I'd trust a lawyer he hires... the brother obviously hates Ben so I'd be afraid he was pulling the lawyer's puppet strings to lead Ben into a conviction.

 

Someone had to have gone back to remove the flashlight.. maybe Dave?   Ben told him where he had left it.  But why would he think to go fetch it?

Oh and as for this being continued into more seasons.. I can kind of see it happening.  I think they will solve the Tom murder this season but the series could carry on as a drama with the "Secrets and Lies" theme.  There is so much drama in the neighborhood that I could see it turning into a regular series.

Edited April 16, 2015 by GracieK

[nara]

I wonder if Christy actually had the abortion because the child wasn't Ben's.  I don't know how that would necessarily fit into the storyline but I just find it really strange for a married woman with 2 children to have an abortion.  That's just me personally.

 

Also, I guess Christy's brother is paying for the fancy expensive lawyer?  That's where the $25K cashiers check came from?  I don't know if I'd trust a lawyer he hires... the brother obviously hates Ben so I'd be afraid he was pulling the lawyer's puppet strings to lead Ben into a conviction.

I just took it for granted that she had an abortion because she felt like they could not afford another child. As she made clear in this episode, Ben's inability to bring home the bacon was a very sore spot. Is it possible she killed the child for financial reasons? If it came out that Ben was the father he would have to pay child support.

Also, regardless of money, that lawyer looks sleazy.

Something just occurred to me from the last episode. Kevin tortured Ben because he was having an affair with Jess while her husband was off fighting for his country. How could Ben not realize then that the child was his? It's not as though she could have had set with both men in a short time period. Apparently I have not been paying attention...

[GracieK]

I could be wrong but I thought Jess mentioned in the torture episode at the barbeque that Scott was coming home the next day?  And I think they only slept together that one night.  If Scott came right home, and they never fooled around again, he may have not considered the child was his.  Or maybe he was just in denial about it.

[halkatla]

 

I, like one of the posters above, actually love Cornell.  I was never particularly a fan of Juliette Lewis, but I think she plays this role spectacularly.

 

I like her too, because she really scares me. Her look and the way she moves, it´s a mixture of creepy, alien-like evilness. I can´t believe she´s supposed to be a good cop, she doesn´t look or act like it. I´d probably cry if she looked at me with her jaw all puffed out, pure hatred in the eyes and a little smirk on the lips, seeing it on tv is scary enough. But that´s mostly the reason why I enjoy the character.

[GracieK]

In an effort to misdirect us a bit, i.e. things are not always as they seem... I wonder if Dave is trying to set up Ben and called the tip in regarding the flashlight, meanwhile Cathy and/or her brother, knowing he's been running around like a loose cannon, were suspicious about why he was back in the woods, and found and retrieved it before the cops came to sweep the area.

[dogfish]

I keep seeing people say this ... But I dont really get the logic. Is this a theory just about ABC or about all primetime networks? Because I don't really pay that much attention to what channel stuff is on, but what channel aired ... [my iPad won't let me do spoiler bars and I don't want to ruin that other stupid show for anyone, but if you watched it you'd know the show I mean, primetime American network show where a kid ended up having done it.]

If this is about network TV and not something just about ABC, I mean, I think law and order SVU is a primetime show on a network channel and they'll go there with anything.

And I'm constantly shocked (usually in a good way) by what's on ABC Family these days, only because I remember it as the family channel.

I'm shocked by what is shown during "family time"...ever watch Two Broke Girls?

[fellini]

Everyone is saying Ben put the flashlight in the woods. So what did he throw off the bridge ?

[GracieK]

Everyone is saying Ben put the flashlight in the woods. So what did he throw off the bridge ?

 

It was the duffel bag with the leftover box and wrapping paper it was all packaged in when under the Christmas tree.