By Mr. Sobell
In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.So the nice thing about going back in time 35 years is that you can look up your mom and see how she's doing. The not-so-nice, kinda-creepy thing? You and your mom are now contemporaries. And I have to say, Detective Tyler, your mom is looking hot.
But Sam has other problems, other than the Oedipal ones that this episode introduces. Like that he runs into his mom when she's being manhandled by a low-grade goombah. And that low-grade goombah is manhandling her because she's into the mob for a sizeable payday advance. And the mobster for whom the low-grade goombah works? Well, he just happens to have most of the 125th Precinct in his back pocket. All told, that's some very awkward work-life issues colliding for our boy Sam. It's especially uncomfortable since some mobster -- I don't want to name any names here -- keeps bumping off women in his employ/debt and dumping their bodies into the East River, and the 125th appears to have turned a blind eye to all this twirl-offing.
But not Sam -- no, he tells the low-grade goombah where he can stick that hush money. (Note: It does not sound like a very comfortable place.) And after the aforementioned mobster tries to frame him by sending a scantily-clad temptress to his apartment armed with only a few disarming words and a Nikon, well, that's just a bump in the road for our Sam. After said temptress shows up dead, allowing the mobster to pick up the hat trick, a few pointed words from Sam plucks at the three-sizes-too-small heart of Gene Hunt, and soon, the two of them are arresting mobsters and their low-level goombahs and saving Sam's mom from a sordid life of working off mob debts.
Thank Christ Sam's mom doesn't repay his kindness with a kiss. Because, you know, my eyes.
Come back Wednesday for the full detailed recap. Until then, talk about this episode in our forums.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!Previously on Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud, Sam got a brief glimpse of the 1973 versions of both his deadbeat old man and himself, and, miraculously, the universe did not collapse upon itself. Also, my computer was a smoking, burnt-out husk, but that's of little concern to you.
We begin this week with a woman in a red dress, sniffling and dabbing at her eyes and generally looking sad. "Are you crying, mommy?" her tousle-haired moppet asks. It is powers of observation like that, kiddo, that will lead to a career in law enforcement. The lady pulls herself together, tucks the little tyke into bed for the night, and coos, "Do you know how much mommy loves you, Sammy?" Ah, so this would be the 1973 edition of Sam's mother then -- either that, or it's a totally different woman who also has a kid named Sam and we've just wasted 30 seconds of our lives. I'm going to go with the Mama Tyler theory. Anyhow, Li'l Sam asks his mom to sing the Sandman song. Well, it's an odd request for a lullaby, but here goes: Exit light... enter night... take my haaaaaaaaand... off to Never Never La..... Oh, it's a totally different song that Sam's mom is singing, then? Well, my Sandman song is much more ass-kicky.
As Sam's mother sings her sweet little Sandman song, we see Li'l Sam's hand clutching a Mars Rover toy -- not unlike the robot that was stalking Sam a few episodes back. That shot transitions to a mini-Mars Rover tear-assing across some unforgiving landscape... which turns out to be Grown-up Sam's chest, neck and face. Freaky. The Mars Rover continues its magical journey up a sleeping Sam's cheek and directly into his ear. Sam's eyes pop open, as would yours if a semi-imaginary creepy-crawly just rolled its way into your earhole. Richard Nixon is on Sam's TV set, prattling on about U.S. dependence on foreign oil. "Just resign already," Sam mutters at the TV. "You know you're going to. I know you're going to." Suddenly, the TV goes all staticy, and suddenly Richard Nixon's horrifying mug is replaced by the equally grim visage of George W. Bush, who is also prattling on about U.S. dependence on foreign oil. Because we sure did lick that oil problem in the ensuing 35 years. Sam does a double-take, and Nixon returns to the TV screen. "Suddenly, I don't seem like such a shitty president, huh?" Tricky Dick seems to say.