12 replies to this topic

[aquarian1]

Saturday's (repeat) epidode:

CAMPAIGN FOR SAINTHOOD RESULTS IN MURDER AND DECEIT; STEPHEN COLBERT ('THE DAILY SHOW') GUEST-STARS -- Detectives Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Eames (Kathryn Erbe) probe the murder of an elderly woman who was poisoned by an anonymous package and set their sights on a crafty forger (guest star Stephen Colbert, "The Daily Show") whose expertise is needed by a local church to verify documents proving the sainthood of 19th-century healer named Brother Jerome. But the investigators uncover a trail of conflicting old letters that could complicate the church's expensive campaign to canonize Jerome -- and they ponder how official sainthood can require a small fortune and human lives. Jamey Sheridan and Courtney B. Vance also star. TV-14

Watching it again right now. You can see screen caps here.

ETA random thoughts:
Nice trick telling Mrs Bennett about the $130,000.
The first time I watched this I didn't realize that was the guy from the Daily Show.
Eames' line sums up the ep pretty well: "She worshipped a saint & raised a sinner."

Edited by aquarian1, May 7, 2005 @ 11:02 PM.

[SarahAnn91]

I've never caught this episode in its entirety, but I remember liking its complexity. And I like Stephen Colbert--I prefer him in comedies, but he did a nice job in this episode, if I remember correctly.

[Leevee]

I've seen this episode a bunch of times, but I've always missed the Scrabble scene! That was fairly amusing.

[tante1]

I really loved the blocking in the scene at the library, where fussy librarian was distracted from keeping Goren away from the bundles of correspondence by Eames' timely question, but then bustled back in order to squeeze past Goren and out of frame. The looks exchanged between the two partners was priceless, and the librarian just made the very most of her moment.

[crabcakes]

Watching this repeat, I was reminded of the more recent episode about moral ecstasy guy who gave away his fortune to the deserving including the Indonesian from Strangers With Candy the Moovie.

For some reason, this episode freaked me out. Maybe it was the Catholics but it felt too true for comfort. I was surprised at how good Stephen Colbert because he looked thinner and somehow disturbing. Was this the ACTING?

[bimbo du jour]

Eames' line sums up the ep pretty well: "She worshipped a saint & raised a sinner."

But didn't Goren respond with something along the lines that the son raised himself? I can't remember, but it seemed to me that Goren was very sympathetic to the Colbert character. I appreciated that aspect of it, that Goren didn't like the mother at all. I'd really like to see this episode again.

[crabcakes]

really? I have only started watching CI repeats - wow, it really is on almost 24/7 and from the concentrated dose, I get the impression that Goren may be able to read criminals but despite his sympathetic tone, he does not excuse them. After all, Goren lived with a harrowing mother and he didn't take it out on other people. I had to watch The Saint twice because I felt very confused and probably distracted thinking about Catholics I have known in school.

I think the mother will not blame herself and does not comprehend her contribution to her son's emotional state.

[bimbo du jour]

I think it's part of what Goren does -- analyze criminals and what motivates them. While he doesn't excuse the crime, I think understanding people is part of his brilliance. So, he understood that the forger did it to make money to buy his toys back, which the mother had given away. If the mother had been different ... that's what I meant.

[Cheynem]

This is a hard episode to watch--at the beginning, it looks like it might be just sort of typical with Colbert playing an arrogant twad, but it becomes a little more damaging as time goes on. The ending monologue where Colbert demonstrates his forging abilities is very sad.

[Impunity Jane]

I think Catholic saints have gone the way of the Greek gods. Nobody cares anymore. I bet more people have heard the popular phrase, "What do you want? A medal?" than the bio of any of the saints - like Saint Anne who sacrificed her breasts for God - what a saint!

What will the next big religious light be? Maybe Jewish law! It's about time!

[Impunity Jane]

The actress who played the mother has a talent for being irritating. I hated her in this, in Minority Report and in True Blood. Three for Three!

[chailey]

I've always assumed that the writers loosely based the Colbert character on the Mormon forger Mark Hofmann. He forged for the money, but it was also a big FU to the Mormon church.

Had some sympathy for Colbert's character and give him props for not strangling his ridiculous mother. He's someone who should have ditched his toxic parent and cut her out of his life.

[CatsWithAxes]

Eames' line sums up the ep pretty well: "She worshipped a saint & raised a sinner."

But didn't Goren respond with something along the lines that the son raised himself? I can't remember, but it seemed to me that Goren was very sympathetic to the Colbert character. I appreciated that aspect of it, that Goren didn't like the mother at all.

Just saw this one again - all the way through for the first time, I think. Yeah Goren said that the son raised himself - implying that he more or less had to, I think. I thought that Goren's sympathy for the character extended as far as his appreciation of the character's "chaotic" home life when he was growing up, in having to deal with a parent who had no concept of how their actions and behavior was affecting their kid. I don't think he was excusing the crimes at all, but he obviously had disdain for the mom. and felt she contributed largely to the situation.

I liked this story a lot - it was very twisty plot-wise, and considering the relative tameness of the subject matter, it was surprisingly disturbing. I thought Stephen Colbert was great. Lois Smith (the actress who played the mom) always annoys me no end whenever I see her in something - here, at least, she was well cast.