(Season 6, Episode 15 – “Witness Protection”)
Oh, goodness. I think I called it “witless protection” in my header here. Oops. But, I tell you what — I’m going to leave it that way. Why? Well, because I’m a disgruntled witness to tonight’s episode. You know that I’ve harped on lukewarm cases on Cold Case before. Half of the entertainment for me with this show is the music, fashions, past and present character comparisons and the changing times. Hey, I think many of you feel the same way. When we’re given a case that’s a year old, it’s disappointing. Can I get a witness?
Since I’ve already fussed about some of the cases being too recent and I don’t want to come across as a lukewarm Cold Case fuss-budget, I’ll talk about the mob instead. Perhaps I’m spoiled by The Sopranos, mobsters who actually had personalities and could be funny, tonight’s Cold Case had colder mobsters. The main mob guy who was on trial in Providence looked like Dapper Dan gone chubby, but was just a mysterious sort of figure.
The case subject himself, Ben Feldman, was only the mobster’s accountant gone witness for the federal trial. So, he doesn’t really qualify as a mobster. Can an accountant be a mobster? Sheesh, I’m living in New Jersey. I should know the answer to that one.
The other mobster, the one who turned out to be the murderer, didn’t do it for mob reasons as one might suspect. He did it because he too was in the witless … er, witness protection program. His wife left him and all he had was his daughter. When he found out that his daughter and Ben’s son wanted to run off to explore the world, he did the dirty deed. In a twist of fate, the son had already told his daughter he was staying with his family. It was all for nothing.
At least when the real mob does a hit, it’s for something. Money, drugs, garbage hauling stops … something. Watching tonight’s Cold Case made me feel like I watched for nothing, as well. I hope they get back to the program next week!
Clacked by Jackie Schnoop 
on Feb 16, 2009 @ 09:00 EST5EDT
I did not watch the program for this very reason. I always check the previews and want to know if it’s an actual COLD CASE. If it’s not, I don’t bother. Like you, it’s the past scenes and how well they work that brings me to the show. Even I could act out last year (I could probably give them a run for their 70s and 80s money, too).
By the same token, if Desperate Housewives became a show that focused only on the children, or Without a Trace focused on smugglers, I wouldn’t watch those eps either.
Cold Case does this far too frequently. That’s why it doesn’t have a permanent home on my DVR.
I usually love Cold Case but the last two or three episodes have been real duds. I don’t know if the writing team has just run out of ideas or what, but I really hope they can return to their former high quality.