"No, I'm a scientist."
If you've been wondering how Dr. Natalie Lambert came to be a vampire's best friend, this episode is here to answer your questions.
When a killer uses a dating service to find his victims, Natalie can't help but think about her own love life. Or her lack thereof.
It was on her 28th birthday, while working the late shift alone, when Nick Knight was wheeled into the coroner's office—and into Natalie's life. She pulled back the cover and saw a handsome, troubled man, and her life was never the same.
But that was two years ago.
Now, that handsome, troubled man is just as far away as ever, and Natalie might be tired of waiting for him to notice her.
I sometimes wonder if she gets frustrated at how Nick treats her compared to other women. When he visits the Raven, Nick causally makes out with Janette and puts his hands all over her, but Natalie is just a little sister who does his homework. He isn't even looking at Natalie's dance card, so it's time to find a new partner.
Of course, that means the red garotte of fate is going to drag her to this episode's Killer of the Week.
Roger is a loon. He kills women out of romantic frustration, but it's really unnecessary. The guy doesn't have trouble getting dates. Why would he? He's tall and nice, and he owns his own flower business. Not bad. But the moment a woman doesn't put out he loses his mind and murders her. Huge overreaction, Roger.
Part of me always thinks this kind of bad guy is overly simple and one-dimensional... but real life killers are sometimes just as unbelievable. Roger's not right in the head, but he's normal enough to seem trustworthy. That's actually pretty scary.
However, Nick takes the prize for second most inappropriate guy in the episode. I think his attempts to keep Natalie from Roger are supposed to look endearing, like his instincts are warning him of trouble. Ever had a friend introduce you to their new partner and you immediately knew they were bad news? We've all been there. That's what's supposed to be happening, but the way Nick intervenes just comes off as being possessive and overly protective. In the end, poor Natalie ends up back where she started.
Flashbacks
It's fun when the show gets creative with these. This week, it's Natalie's flashbacks, which are filmed and acted out in a dramatic style that's strikingly different from the rest of the series. You'll never see that level of bokeh again, and the actors will never speak so profoundly.
It's probably an effort to show us how much Natalie has romanticized the time she met Nick. Who wouldn't? Meeting a real vampire overturned her entire worldview. In retrospect, it plays out like an epic film.
Little Bites:
-Schanke is always right: No one ever listens. This time he tried to hook up Natalie with a broad-shouldered man with a head full of hair and a deep voice. He seemed nice, too. Folks, he's almost always right.
-Vampire Lore: Nick regenerated after a pipe bomb blew him to pieces. His blood even ran backward into his body. (Not that he needs a circulatory system.) Killing these vampires isn't easy, and it's remarkable he didn't get decapitated or burned in the process. Then again, I think Natalie's recollection isn't perfect, so maybe this event has been exaggerated in her mind.
-Wasting Time: Nick says he needs to find a gift for Natalie. Seems like he'd be in a hurry, since not many gift shops are open at night, but he goes home to play golf in his pajamas.
-Famliar Faces: Roger is played by the same actor who later shows up on Eureka as a really mean general. (Aren't they all? Do any shows have nice generals? Other than Twin Peaks, of all places?)
-Natalie's cake is hilarious. Thirty isn't that old, folks, but the candles put out so much smoke it looked like she was turning a hundred.
-This is not the first (or last) time the coroner's office uses a random person's blood or DNA sample for control purposes and it turns out to accidentally break the case.
-Natalie's co-workers bought her lingerie. I don't have a funny thing to say about that, I'm just amazed.
Final Analysis: Great flashbacks, but average mystery of the week. Two out of five nosebleeds.
Adam D. Jones is a writer, historian, and undefeated cat wrestler. He's also something of a flower arranger himself, having recently used a twist tie to re-attach a daisy to its stalk so no one could tell he'd stepped on it.
Apropro of absolutely nothing, my mother's favorite singer was Frank Sinatra, and her favorite album of his was Only the Lonely. :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't even know it was a song. I'm a terrible reviewer!
DeleteOld, old, depressing Frank Sinatra song! You're so excused. :)
DeleteBrilliant album. That and In the Wee Small Hours should be part of a two-record set entitled Music to Drink Yourself to Death in Some Dive Bar By.
DeleteNomadUK, great description. It's all sad torch songs. I don't know what that says about my mom since it was her favorite album, but Sinatra's voice was so amazing back then.
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