Episode Report Card Deborah: B+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Casper, The Friendly Ghost
By Deborah | Season 1 | Episode 16 | Aired on 02.19.2004
Luke's at work with Will, who says, "This is where the magic happens." Luke: "Cool." Looking around Will's office, he asks if those are all cold cases. Will wonders how he knows about those. Luke says he asked his mother what he was working on. Will seems surprised to hear that. Luke can't believe there are so many unsolved cases. Will: "Ninety percent dead ends. I leaf through them on a wing and a prayer." He notices a colleague passing by and asks Luke, "Hey! Wanna see something cool?" The guy comes over and Will says, "Here's the real magician." The colleague, whose name is Reggie, says to Will, "Captain, my captain." To Luke: "You must be Luke. Your dad tells me that you're quite the scientist." Will: "Reggie runs the CSI lab -- things that spin and blink and whir. You'd be in heaven." Reggie says they just installed a new processor for DNA analysis: "It's killer." Luke: "An automated genetic analyzer? They use capillary electrophoresis, right?" Reggie looks at Will: "Are you sure he's your kid?" To Luke: "I mean, I can run your DNA." Will looks both pleased and embarrassed, and says that Luke gets his brains from his mother's side. He asks Luke, "Hey, you wanna check it out? It's like the Bat Cave down there." Luke definitely wants to, and walks off with Reggie. Will heads for his desk, and Luke asks, "Aren't you coming?" Will: "Aw, you guys are out of my league. All I'm doing is shuffling papers around here. Go. Enjoy yourself!" Luke does, but he looks disappointed. Will's oblivious to it, though.
Helen comes into her sunny classroom. Adam's waiting there, alone, with some huge piece under wraps. She smiles and greets him. He says, "I did my self-portrait, like you said...took my risk." Helen: "Terrific. Let's have a look." Adam pulls the tarp off his piece. It's a mixed media piece, with a colour copies of a picture of Helen and another one of Adam, in all different sizes, mounted here and there, torn into different shapes; some are just eyes. There are lots of pieces of metal mesh and thick brown rope enclosing the piece and the pictures of Adam. There are other bits and pieces of material projecting here and there. The overall feeling is of fragmentation, and there is also a aggressive, very confrontational feel to it. The photo of Helen happens to be one with a disapproving, judgmental, almost defiant expression. The image Adam chose of himself looks halfway between "forlorn" and "mug shot." Helen takes all this in, her face growing increasingly disturbed. Adam waits with an almost impudent expression. Helen asks softly, "What are you trying to say here?" Adam: "You wanted me to look inside myself -- so I did. That's what was there." Helen: "Okay. I'll mark the assignment complete. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do." Adam looks slightly hurt, but also slightly angry that it didn't provoke the response he was hoping for. He walks out. Helen looks ill.