Episode Report Card Couch Baron: A+ | 1 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT Depression On A DVD, Part Two
By Couch Baron | Season 1 | Episode 4 | Aired on 07.27.1997
But we're not done yet! No, apparently God decided to punish Mukada for letting a sarcastic "Thank you sir, may I have another?" permeate his thoughts. Anyway, a shirtless L'Italien does push-ups as Glynn tells him that the Supreme Court (he didn't say "State," so I'm assuming it's the big one) refused to hear his appeal. L'Italien, who looks a bit like a scruffy Chris Sarandon, opines that Rehnquist is a fag. I'll stick with "don't ask, don't tell" on that one, myself. Glynn exposits that his execution is the following day. His rhythmic movements and labored breathing continue into a sepia-toned flashback, where he chokes a woman to death on a bed. "Prisoner Number 97L641. Richard L'Italien." Murder one, death. L'Italien tells Glynn he wants to share something he's never told anyone. He confesses to the crime for which he was convicted, but as Glynn walks away, he admits to suffocating another woman. Glynn says he'll notify the proper authorities, and turns to walk away again, but L'Italien really stops him by confessing to a string of murders so long it would prompt Jame Gumb to build a couple more wells and buy a lot more lotion in the interest of catching up. L'Italien is playing with a yo-yo as he spills all this, by the way. Of all the props to show that the serial killer doesn't have a shred of remorse for his crimes, I think the yo-yo is at the top of the list.
In his office, Mukada smokes and tells Pete that L'Italien confessed to thirty-nine murders in total. I get a little uncomfortable as I realize that this might be my thirty-ninth recap, but a quick check proves that it's actually number forty, which brings up a host of other issues, but as they're much more normal, I think there's no cause for alarm. Not that I was planning to grow a beard and go straight any time soon, but numbers can be very meaningful, and who knows what can be that final impetus for turning to murder? Our prisoner flashbacks certainly speak to that. Oh, look how I finally got back around to the topic at hand in that last sentence. I must be learning from the Buffy posters. Anyway, Pete bites out some anti-death penalty sentiment, and asks how Mukada can be a willing part of this execution, as she knows he feels the same way as she does about the death penalty. Mukada says maybe if anyone deserves to die, it's L'Italien, and anyway, it's his duty to be there at his side. I have to say that they're doing a pretty good job presenting us with two cases that, from a holistic standpoint, provoke completely opposite gut reactions regarding the death penalty. Mukada lights a candle with a lighter, making me like him even more, and says, "That's for him. That's for all of them." Pete looks sad. Again. Can anyone get out of this episode without being emotionally bitch-slapped? Maybe Keane and L'Italien got off easy.