Throwback Thursday - Forever - The King of Columbus Circle

Throwback Thursday is a weekly article in which we look back at our favorite TV episodes from the past.


Original Air Date: Feb. 10, 2015
Director - Matt Barber
Writers - Matthew Miller and Phil Klemmer

Previously on Forever - Nemesis Adam left Abraham a clue to his birthparents and Abraham finds their names, which allows him to start learning about his birth family.

This Throwback Thursday is a bit different for me because I usually try to showcase a variety of tv series. Instead, this episode is a continuation of the episode of Forever, I most recently reviewed. While it is not a two-parter, per se, it does continue the storyline of Abraham finding his long-lost relatives and says a lot about what it means to be family and what it means to be home. Who makes up a family? Is sharing a bloodline important? Should kids be held responsible for the sins of their fathers? It’s this depth of questioning that transforms a typical crime case into one of my favorite episodes of Forever and ends with one of my favorite scenes in all of television. So, please pardon me for sticking with the same show, but I hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane with me.

The episode opens in line at the fictional Urkesh embassy, where a man is trying to get a visa. When asked why, he says that he wants to go home to die. He ends up being the exiled king of Urkesh, which causes quite the stir. Later, he sits on a park bench feeding the birds, when he clutches at his chest and slumps over dead. Back at Chez Morgan, Henry and Abe are having breakfast, together? They sit at the same table but do not interact, both reading. Henry inspects the newspaper while Abe peruses the phone book. They still make those? It’s good to know that it’s not only phones and social media that cause people to completely ignore each other while eating. Apparently, older news sources did the same. Henry finally looks up and questions the phone book, snapping Abe out of his reverie to talk about his search for any living relatives. Abraham: “Wait a minute. No, no, no. I’m the one who’s being thoughtless now.” Henry: “Don’t beat yourself up. I’m used to being ignored at the breakfast table.” Abraham: “No, no, what I mean is I don’t need a family tree to tell me who my real Pops is.” Henry: “Oh, nor I, my real son.” It’s a sweet moment to open, causing Henry to ponder the meaning of family in a voice over. VO: “Why do we feel compelled to trace our roots? Those names in the family tree are just that, names, and yet the kinship we feel to them is powerful. Does the fact that we’re rooted in history make us feel more secure in our present? But what if our family trees are more like vines, twining aimlessly throughout the ages?”

 

 

Henry is called from breakfast to inspect the dead body. Hanson and Jo think that it’s a natural death and a rookie got too eager when he called it in as a homicide. Good thing the rookie did. As Henry examines the body, he sees an old, jagged scar on its torso and flashes back to his honeymoon with Abigail. They are vacationing on the Orient Express, when a knock interrupts their discussion of whether to have a baby or not. Abigail is pro-baby, but Henry feels that another child would only lead to considerable heartache since he is immortal. An imposing man is at the door and claims that a child is sick and needs a doctor. They both rush to the boy, who has appendicitis. Henry realizes that they will have to remove the appendix on the train, because the boy is in acute distress. It’s the scar that leads Henry to conclude that the boy on the train and the dead body are the same person. His flashback ends when the king’s wife, Zarina, rushes into the morgue to identify her husband’s body. Henry offers her support in Russian, which prompts Jo’s interest. Jo: “I don’t get it, Henry. A person would have to live 10 lives to pick up everything you have.” Henry: “Or just one very long one.” Ha!

 

While Henry investigates if there is a crime, Abe launches his own investigation into all possible relatives. He sets up a huge board in his shop that lists everyone he’s found. When Henry joins him, Abe is eager to share how far he has progressed in such a short amount of time. Abe: “Hey, what if I turned out to be related to someone really famous? You know, like Charlesmagne or…uh, Napoleon or George Washington.” Henry, deadpans: “I don’t believe any of those gentlemen are Jewish.” Ha! It’s funny so much more for the delivery than the words themselves. This doesn’t dampen Abe’s enthusiasm, though, until Henry starts reflecting on his flashback with the king. He questions whether Abe ever thought about having children, but he has no regrets in that department. Henry: “Do you ever think about your legacy?” Abe: “What do you mean? An heir? Now, why would I need an heir? I have you so part of me, spiritually, will go on forever.” Henry: “That’s very sweet of you…I think.”

The mood grows somber until Abe questions why Henry pocketed a ring from his store. Abe exposits that Henry gave him the ring after Abigail and he came back from their honeymoon. Let’s just say young Abe was less than pleased with his stay on the family farm. The king of Urkesh gave it to Henry for saving his son with the appendectomy. In the present, Henry takes the ring back to Zarina, explaining that he deals in antiques and thought it should go back to the original family. Zarina states that they were never able to have kids but that Armen had a happy life away from the pressures of being king. His only wish was to return to his homeland before he died. They chat some more about his cancer, but Zarina claims that he did not get radiation treatment for the disease. Alarm bells go off in Henry’s head as he realizes that the king was poisoned. He races back to the lab but the body is being taken away by the Urkesh government. Getting Lucas to halt the elevator, he takes a Geiger counter to confirm the radiation. After claiming that the elevator is now irradiated, the men who came for the body are quite fine leaving it with Henry to do the autopsy. Lucas updates Jo on the new findings. Henry: “Kings aren’t murdered. They’re assassinated. Well, what are you waiting for? We’ve got work to do.” Lucas: “I think I’ll take the stairs.” Good thinking, Lucas!

 

Later, Jo and Henry interview the Urkesh consulate. Jo cautions that they need to be tactful, but Henry has no diplomatic finesse. When he doesn’t like the consulate’s answers, he messes with a priceless vase and gets them kicked out, only to find the diplomat waiting for them by a food truck. He did process the visa, since the deposed king gave him a large diamond to expedite things. Jo: “A diamond the size of a grape. It sounds less like assassination and more like good, old-fashioned greed.” This prompts Henry to flash back to the Orient Express again. He and Abigail start with foreplay when they are interrupted again. The king personally thanks them for saving Armen’s life and proceeds to invite himself and his entourage in for a huge feast of yak shank. Back in the present, Hansen and Lucas fill Jo and Henry in on Armen’s last meal so they go to the restaurant. They find out that the owner was tortured as a kid by the Urkesh royal guard so there’s no love lost there. They also find an irradiated bowl. Formal interview time. Guy: “If I knew he was heir to the throne of Urkesh, you think I would have poisoned him like a woman?” Hanson: “No need to get sexist, pal.” Guy: “I would have stabbed him in the heart with a knife and told him to rot in hell for what he did.” Hanson: “What exactly did he do? The guy was just a kid, the same age as you were, when the revolution went down.” Guy: “He had his father’s blood in his veins and my people’s blood on his hands.” Yikes! The sins of the father…

Jo and Hanson learn that Armen was arguing with a young woman right as Henry and Lucas find a club stamp on Armen’s hand. Off to the Gilded Cage, they go. Lydia, the cocktail waitress, tells them that she grew up in foster care but Armen showed up recently and claimed to be her father. He showed her huge diamonds, which she thought were fake, and wanted her to accompany him to Urkesh. He also said not to tell anyone about him because his wife would be upset to learn of Lydia. Jo and Henry confirm that Armen was telling the truth, but this changes nothing in Lydia’s life. Her break is over and she has to go back to work. Lydia: “And an orphan all over again.” Lydia’s predicament continues to eat at Henry. Abe: “Hey, what’s wrong?” Henry: “I just worry that your mother and I deprived you.” Abe: “Of what?” Henry, pointing to Abe’s board: “That, family. All the aunts and uncles and cousins on the Morgan side whom you never met.” Abe: “Well I never met them because my dad was immortal. It would have made family reunions a bit awkward, wouldn’t you think?” Ha! Good point. He says: “No, no, the 3 of us were all the family I ever wanted.” Henry, presses on and Abe asks if Abigail and he ever wanted other kids. Henry admits that there was a time when they thought about it.

Flashback - After their royal meal, Abigail falls asleep on their bed while Henry and the king stay up talking. The king gives Henry his signet ring, passed down for generations to the next king, but Henry demures. Henry: “No, your son should have this.” King: “I don’t wish to burden my son. You know what I wish for him? That he grows up to be something other than a king. That’s why he’s leaving Urkesh.” Henry: “And you?” King: “I will return to face whatever fate awaits me - a sacrifice I will make happily, knowing that my son may follow his own dreams, whatever they are. Isn’t that what every father wishes, and mother?” It’s hard to reconcile this concerned parent with the tyrant whose guards torture children. Still, his wish came true. Armen had a good life, although the rest of his family was killed in Urkesh. Unfortunately, his wife is now the prime suspect in his death. She is visibly ill when they interview her a second time. Jo and Hanson mention Armen’s affair, which she knew about 25 years ago. She did not know that he had a daughter, though. She vehemently denies killing him, stating how depressed she was when she thought his bloodline would end and that she married Armen for love, not a title or riches. Partway through proclaiming her innocence, Zarina collapses and Henry, FINALLY, realizes that she’s been poisoned, too. With some MacGyver-ing, he pumps her stomach and she lives. My extensive knowledge of radiation poisoning, learned completely through NCIS, makes me skeptical since if she is already showing symptoms, she should be a goner. However, Jo, Hanson, and Henry are more concerned with figuring out the murderer, who slopily left inky fingerprints on the door. The ink is the same color they use for visas at the Urkesh embassy.

Back to the consulate they go, and he shares the killer’s info in a roundabout manner. Asif Karimov wants to kill the entire royal family because the royal guards killed his parents when he was a kid. The consulate also shares that Lydia applied for a visa, saying she was the king’s daughter. Not smart when everyone seems to hate the royal family! Jo and Henry realize she is now in danger, but their warning call comes too late. Asif is already in her house. He goes to kill her, but is stopped by a baby’s cry. Lydia fights valiantly for her child but Asif knocks her out and proceeds to the baby’s room. He pulls a gun on a baby! What kind of sick is that! Luckily, Jo and Henry enter before the child is harmed and a pursuit through the house proceeds. Henry saves the baby, Lydia wakes up in time to warn Jo, Asif shoots Lydia, and Jo shoots Asif. In the ambulance, Lydia is bleeding out. She tells Henry that she does not want her baby to be an orphan like she was, and Henry, flashing back, gives her the same advice she gave a young Armen. He tells her to take courage because she’s the daughter of a king. She lives and as she sleeps in the hospital, Jo comes in with her baby. Jo: “I told Child Services I’d look after him until his mom wakes up. What?” Henry: “Nothing. I’m just used to you kicking down doors and shooting perpetrators.” Jo asks Henry if he ever wanted kids and he flashes back to the Orient Express, where he agrees to have a child with Abigail and they proceed to have sex. Henry says sadly, “Fate had other plans.”

He returns home, tired and a bit down, but Abraham waits for him, all excited. He insists that Henry listen. Henry: “So what? You’ve discovered some intriguing long-lost ancestor?” Abe: “Yes. Guess who.” Henry: “Please, I’m not in the mood for any guessing games.” Abe: “You.” Henry: “What do you mean?” Abe: “You, Henry. I’m related to you.” Henry: “But how’s that possible?” Abe: “We have a common ancestor, which means we have the same blood in our veins - well, at least a drop or two.” Henry: “Are you certain?” Abe: “According to my research, 200 years ago, a child was born out of wedlock to a gentleman by the name of Dennis Longworth. There.” Henry: “My uncle Dennis.” Abe: “What? You knew him?” Henry: “I would hardly call him a gentleman. The man was a cad and a scoundrel and died in a duel, shot in the groin. Not coincidentally. But who cares? We’re related.” Abe: “Isn’t that the greatest news you’ve ever heard in your life?” Henry: “It’s truly wonderful!” Abe, ushering them both in front of the mirror: “Take a look. We have the same cheekbones.” Henry: “How did I never see it before?” Their joy in the knowledge is tangible. They’ve been family for over 60 years and yet, this tenuous blood connection is still meaningful to them. It’s important to them both that Abraham’s lifelong search for his biological family still includes his adopted family.

As the episode closes out, Henry’s voiceover muses: “The truth is, each of us is related. It’s just a question of how far back you trace your family tree. Deep down, all of us have shared blood in our veins.” In the end, we’re all family if we choose to be. The closing vignettes prove that. Lydia wakes in the hospital to find Zarina holding her baby, the family signet ring around her neck. She looks on the baby in love and claims that the ring will be his one day. In one statement, she has claimed the family her husband kept from her and has made Lydia her family, an orphan no longer. Back at the morgue, a different kind of family breaks bread together. Lucas, Jo, and Hanson have ordered the yak stew in honor of the king. Lucas: “Yak stew.” Jo, sniffing it: “No.” Lucas: “There is a reason they call it yak.” Bwah! Still, it is the ending scene that wins the day. As Abe sleeps on the couch, the voiceover reminds us that everyone is important and children remain our children, no matter how old they get. Henry tucks a blanket around Abe and kisses his forehead, just as if he was a child. It’s odd since Abe looks so much older than Henry, but it is the perfect symbol of their relationship. Abe will always be Henry’s child, his family, and that is a true legacy of love.

 

My original review of this episode for Last Week in TV: 

By far the most touching episode of the week, Forever had me on the edge of sniffling with happiness. Without a doubt, the character interaction between Henry and Abe has been the best of the TV season. They are the show. In this episode, Abe is happily trying to find his long-lost relatives, now that he finally knows his birth name and that of his parents. He tracks them down through the phone book and reaches out on Skype. All this has a curious effect on Henry, who is launched back to memories of his honeymoon with Abigail in which they saved the life of a prince. When said prince becomes his latest homicide victim, Henry ponders the value of blood relations. He doesn't begrudge Abe's joy at finding a new part of himself, but it does make him more wistful and reflective than usual. Abe on the other hand takes time from his gleeful search to make sure that Henry knows that no matter who he finds, he always knows that Henry is his dad and that will never change. It's a sweet reminder of exactly why this relationship works. Even wrapped up in their own worlds, they recognize what the other is feeling and are considerate of each other's needs. It is a delightful change from most father-son dynamics on TV over the last few decades. It's also what makes the ending so special. When Henry, weary from the case, comes home to an ecstatic Abe, he expects to find tales of another relative Abe has found. The overwhelming joy in both of them when he finds out that he is actually related to Abe, even distantly, is a scene of pure, unadulterated pleasure. The viewer can't help but get swept up in their delight. Add to this a case of the week that also tugged at the heartstrings and a happy ending for the surviving royal family and this is the best episode of the week.


Grade: A-


Episode Awards:

Best Reason to Watch - Henry and Abe as always
Best Scene - Henry and Abe find out they are distantly related
Best Aww Moment - Henry covers Abe up with a blanket and kisses his forehead
Second Best Awww Moment - the Queen meets her grandson for the first time 
Biggest Evil - I don't care what psychological scars you have. If you even think about shooting a baby, you are evil. Pure evil.
Best Reaction - Henry to getting bear hugged by the King of Urkesh
Biggest Buzz Kill - Jo tells Henry they called the guy's doctor after Henry compliments Hanson 
Best Synchronized Eating - Henry and Abe are Olympic caliber
Biggest Hmm - Are Jo, Hanson, Reece, and Henry the only people on the police force? Why not call for the closest police officers to race to Lydia's if you know someone is attacking her?
Biggest Stock Villain - King's guard threatens Henry to save the prince
Best Reaction - Henry says everyone on the elevator is being irradiated and Lucas eats a chip

Best Quotes -
1. Henry: "Don't beat yourself up. I'm used to be ignored at the breakfast table." Abe: "No, no. What I mean is I don't need a family tree to tell me who my real Pops is." Henry: "Nor I, my real son."
2. Henry: "So what, you've discovered some intriguing long lost ancestor." Abe: "Yes. Guess who?" Henry: "Please, I'm not in the mood for any guessing games." Abe: "You." Henry: "What do you mean?" Abe: "You, Henry. I'm related to you."
3. Abe: "Henry, what's wrong?" Henry: "I just worry that your mother and I deprived you." Abe: "Of what?" Henry: "That. Family. All the aunts and uncles and cousins on the Morgan side, whom you never met." Abe: "Well I never met them because my dad was immortal. Would have made family reunions a bit awkward, don't you think?"

4. Henry: "Your father was a king. The last King of Urkesh." Lydia: "But that would make me…" Jo: "A princess." Lydia: "And an orphan. All over again." Manager: "Yo Lydia, break's over." Lydia: "Sorry, looks like this princess is back on the clock."
5. Lucas: "So what are we looking for, huh? Lipstick on the collar. Hickey on the neck."
6. Abigail: “What changed your mind?” Henry: “Instead of just thinking about me and some future heartbreak, I realized that you’re here now.” Abigail: “Yes, I’m here now.”


Screencaps by Kiss Them Goodbye

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she reviews and/or creates polls for Teen Wolf, How to Get Away with Murder, The Librarians, and others. She also runs the annual Character Cup. She's addicted to Twitter, loves live tweeting, and co-hosted The 100 "Red-Shirted" and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Previously she wrote a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

Throwback Thursday - Forever - Hitler on the Half-Shell

Throwback Thursday is a weekly article in which we look back at our favorite TV episodes from the past.

Forever was a gem of a show that, unfortunately, only lasted one season. It tells the story of Henry Morgan, who cannot stay dead. Every time he dies, he ends up alive in the nearest body of water. In this iteration of his life, he is the medical examiner of New York City, where he helps detectives Jo Martinez and Mike Hanson solve crimes. He is also joined by his adopted son, Abraham, who now looks more like his grandfather than his son. This episode aired on Feb. 3, 2015 and is directed by David Warren and written by Matthew Miller and Sarah Nicole Jones. You can catch the whole series of Forever at cwtv.com. I chose this episode, not because it is my favorite, but because it sets up a key storyline about Abraham’s search for information on his birth family. I intend to cover the next episode when it is my turn to do Throwback Thursday again.

As we open, a health aide is taking Abe’s vitals much to Henrys’ chagrin. It turns out that Abe is just getting an insurance physical and is in very good health. The woman asks for Abe’s parents’ health records before seeing Abe’s Auschwitz tattoo. It’s as awkward as it sounds but Abe reassures her as she leaves. Ever-supportive, Henry tells Abe that they can check the records at the Holocaust Museum again to find out information abut Abe’s birth parents, but Abe says it’s useless without a family name. He knows nothing about his parents because he was too young when they died and he can’t even remember what they looked like. Henry is concerned about his son, but Abe says, “Anway, you can dwell on the past or, um…” Henry: “Or what?” Abe: “Appreciate the present. Focus on cheerier things. (The phone rings and he answers it) It’s Jo for you. There’s been a murder. So much for cheerier things.” Ha! Off Henry goes.

In keeping with the Nazi theme, the dead guy, Karl Haas, is an art dealer who has a swastika imprinted in his head. The statute that killed him is called the Andolini Venus and it has the Nazi symbol tagged on the bottom, showing that is was stolen in the 1940’s. Back at the morgue, Lucas, the coroner assistant, is intrigued. Lucas: “It’s just…a swastika embedded into a dead guy’s head? Stolen Nazi art? What is this guy, Indiana Jones?” Henry: “Who is Indiana Jones?” Lucas: “Is that a joke? Seriously?” I agree. Henry, you’re 200 years old. You can’t take in a movie? Detectives Martinez and Hanson join the subsequent exposition to add that Haas’ father was notorious Nazi art plunderer, Otto Heydrich. They assume that Haas is equally guilty and that his death might be the byproduct of an illicit art deal gone bad. They bring in Haas’ son, Erik, but he claims not to know anything about his family’s Nazi history. In fact, he vehemently denies it. This leads to the first flashback of the episode, where Henry is confronted with the fact that his family’s shipping business includes slavery in the West Indies. Henry, too, vehemently denies the allegations only to find that it is true. He is devastated. In a later flashback, he confronts his father, who used slavery to pay down the family’s outstanding debts. Henry is so outraged that he decides to leave the UK for America, wanting nothing to do with the family business.

In the present, Henry uses Haas’ rare watch and trace elements on his shoes to track down Eli Swier, a watchmaker in Brighton Beach. Initially, Swier denies any knowledge of Haas to Jo and Henry, but after learning of Haas’ death, he admits that he gave the watch to him. Why? Because Haas returned a priceless Monet painting to Swier, a painting stolen by the Nazis when Swier was just a kid. Surprise! Haas was actually trying to right the wrongs of his family, only asking that the families keep his name a secret. Swier quotes Goethe: “A good man apologizes for the mistakes of the past, but a great man corrects them.” Swier: “Karl Haas was a great man.” Back home, Henry and Abe debate why Haas wanted to keep everything a secret. Henry: “I suppose one obvious answer is that he didn’t want to be further associated with who his father really was - a war criminal.” Abe: “Well I guess it didn’t work out then.” Henry: “Because he was killed?” Abe: “No, you said he changed his name, hid out in his apartment, and had a cr** relationship with his kid, so he couldn’t escape it. Luckily, we’re only responsible for our own sins in this world. Can you imagine if I tried to carry around your 200 years of craziness?” Ha! Abe makes several good points here. Haas was haunted by his father’s actions to the point that it damaged his future and his relationship with his son. This is a nice tie to the opening scene where Abe tries to live in the present instead of being chained to the past.

The conversation ends when Henry gets a call informing him that the blood at the scene matches Max Brenner, an artist that has been dead for 20 years. Henry: “It seems our victim was murdered by a dead man.” Or not. Hanson: "If this Max Brenner guy has been dead since the 90's, how'd he break into an apartment and kill Karl Haas?" Henry: "Well it's quite simple actually…" Lucas: "Max Brenner is a zombie Nazi hunter. Huh? What? We were all thinking it." Bwah!!! Since most adults understand the basics of DNA, Henry’s exposition here is pointless. Suffice it to say, the next police stop is to Sam Brenner, Max’s son. When Martinez and Henry get there, he is hacking up a dead animal with a chain saw and splattering its blood everywhere. Blech! How anyone would buy that as art is beyond me! Sam admits that he broke into Haas’ house to recover one of his dad’s paintings that was also looted by the Nazis. Martinez comments that the painting is not very cheery but Henry explains that it depicts the Todesengel, angel of death, and was supposed to be a warning against the rise of Nazism. Speaking of death omens, Adam is back. Ugh! A few episodes before, Adam revealed that he, too, is immortal and he preceded to frame Henry for murder. It didn’t go well. Abe, oblivious to who Adam really is, receives a silver platter from him to appraise. When Abe shows it to Henry, Henry sees his family crest on it and immediately knows that Adam is playing games again.

Henry takes Adam’s business card and arranges to meet with him. (He does not share who Adam is with Abe, which is always a bad idea.) Adam approaches Henry like they are old friends, but Henry shuts that down right away. Henry: “I don’t know what game you’re playing, but if you so much as touch Abraham, you’ll live to regret it.” Adam: “As opposed to what?” Good point, but still, no one better mess with Abe. Adam assures Henry that he would never hurt Abe, because they have a lot in common. Adam was in Auschwitz, too, in 1945, but not as a Nazi. He was a prisoner, who was tortured by Josef Mengele, once they figured out that he was no ordinary man. Adam: “Take it from me, Henry. There are evils in this world that even you haven’t encountered.” The flashback is brutal and it had me feeling sorry for Adam. I never did like the Adam storyline, but fleshing out his backstory here did make me look at him in a different way. Adam asks for Henry’s help in finding a 44 BC Roman dagger that the Nazis took from him. He knew of Haas’ father and thinks that the dagger might be in his’ collection. He implies that if Henry helps him, he has something that might help Abe.

Meanwhile, the case leads them to a bank vault full of looted artwork valued at billions of dollars. The account manager, Julian Glausser, tells Martinez that Haas kept the paintings there until he could track down their next of kin. It is a long, arduous process that involves looking into the detailed notebooks of the Nazis. Henry realizes that one of the paintings stolen from Haas’ house was a Rembrandt. Apparently, Rembrandt was known for using the equivalent of poison oak in the pigment dyes he used. Huh? This makes no sense to me but it does lead Martinez and Hanson to the culprit, since Julian kept scratching at his hand in the first interview. Sadly, when they go to bring Julian in, they discover that he has looted the vault and is now on the lam. Martinez wants Hanson to call his brother Anthony, who works the Port Authority, but Hanson is justifiably reluctant since his brother and he bicker on and on about old wounds until Martinez puts a stop to it. Anthony agrees to close the port on 2 occasions: 1. They excuse his parking tickets. 2. Hanson apologizes for screwing his prom date. Yikes! The conversation ends when a container above them starts dripping blood. Inside is the art and Julian’s dead body with cuts all over it. He was tortured.

The differences in the deaths bothers Henry, who surmises that there are 2 different killers. While Julian was tortured and showed evidence of a long, painful death by a sadist, Haas was killed quickly and his body was posed reverently in love. Martinez points out that bashing someone’s skull in is not loving, but Henry claims that you can love and hate someone at the same time. He flashes back to his father’s deathbed. Henry comes to see him one last time before he leaves for the US. He is still angry and refuses anything that belongs to the Morgan family, until his dad hands him the family watch. Dad: “There are 2 things we are charged with in this life, Henry. Living with our mistakes and endeavoring to learn for them, to be better men because of them. No matter what you think of me, I know I have raised a good man.” Then his father dies. Back in the present, Henry realizes that someone closed Haas’ eyes and the fingerprints show it was his son. No surprise there. Apparently, Julian told Erik about his family’s Nazi past. Struggling to pay the rent, Erik wants to sell some of the artwork but his dad refuses. They fight and Haas ends up dead but Erik swears that he did not harm Julian. One crime solved; the other crime is weirder. Lucas exposits that the blood samples taken in the cargo container where Julian died had anomalies. They contained evidence of over 2,000 years of diseases. Henry realizes that Adam killed Julian but he quickly shoots down any questions Lucas or the detectives have. They, in turn, are shocked when Henry says he has no theories.

Adam heads back to Abe’s antique shop and talks cryptically about everything. In a nut shell, he did not find the dagger he was looking for but he did snatch a book from Auschwitz out of the art collection. He leaves it for Abe and, using their tattoo numbers, Abe learns the names of his father and mother, Herman and Reba Weinraub. He shares his joy with Henry and calls Adam an angel, but Henry quickly confirms Adam’s identity. Abe rightly calls Henry out for not sharing that info sooner, but Henry exposits Adam’s situation and supposes that the ledger is Adam’s way of apologizing for earlier. He doesn’t forgive Adam but Abe reminds him that Adam was a victim, too. Later, Henry and Abe go to the Holocaust Museum and now that Abe has his parents’ names, they give him a box of his parents’ things. In it is a picture of their wedding. For the first time that he can remember, Abe knows what his parents look like and it is pure joy. Abe: “Well, I guess I know now where I get my good looks from.” Aww.

To be honest, I prefer the next episode to this one but I wanted to lay the groundwork for Abe and Henry’s relationship here. It is by far the best thing about this series. Due to Henry being immortal, his son is now visibly older than he is and it creates a unique dynamic between them. Their shared secret has created a strong bond and it shows in how protective they are with each other. Henry shares the pain of Abe not knowing anything about his parents, but Abe also wants to shield Henry from that pain. Their mutual joy at seeing the picture of Abe’s birth family is palpable and ends the episode on such an emotional high point. This episode not only fills in some of the gaps in Abe’s history, but it also explains why Henry left the UK to come to America and lays the groundwork for how he sees the world. Although the weekly crime here is pretty basic, the episode has good character interactions, ample backstory for all including Adam, and scenes with a heavy emotional punch. It was a joy to relive it so many years later.



Grade: B+

Best Reason to Watch - Abe back story

Best Scene - Abe knows his family's real name for the first time and sees his parent's wedding picture

Biggest Hmmm? - it would be far more likely that a white man from the West Indies was pro-slavery than calling someone else out on it in those days

The "Not Him Again" Award - Adam, Henry's stalker is back

Biggest "Well Duh?" Moment - Henry exposits that the dead guy's son shares his DNA

Best Con - Julian, who steals billions in looted Nazi art

Least Surprising - the man's son killed him

Most Disgusting - animal blood as art

Best Surprise - instead of Adam being a Nazi, he was tortured by them / Adam is the means by which Abe gets to know his family



Best Quotes -

1. Henry, about the statue: "Look at how the artist captured the lines of the body almost perfectly." Jo, about the corpse: "Fascinating. I'm a little more concerned with the body on the floor."

2. Abe: "Luckily we're only responsible for our own sins in this world. Can you imagine if I tried to carry around your 200-years of craziness?"

3. Jo, after Henry spoils her info: "You know you kind of take the fun out of these reveals."

4. Hanson: "If this Max Brenner guy has been dead since the 90's, how'd he break into an apartment and kill Karl Haas?" Henry: "Well it's quite simple actually…" Lucas: "Max Brenner is a zombie Nazi hunter. Huh? What? We were all thinking it."

5. Lucas: “It’s just…a swastika embedded into a dead guy’s head? Stolen Nazi art? What is this guy, Indiana Jones?” Henry: “Who is Indiana Jones?” Lucas: “Is that a joke? Seriously?”



Screencaps by Kiss Them Goodbye

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she reviews and/or creates polls for Teen Wolf, How to Get Away with Murder, The Librarians, and others. She also runs the annual Character Cup. She's addicted to Twitter, loves live tweeting, and co-hosted The 100 "Red-Shirted" and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Previously she wrote a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."

Quote of the Week

A weekly feature highlighting the best quotes on TV as picked by the SpoilerTV team. We'd love to hear your picks too so please sound off in the comments below.

Abbott Elementary - Folie-lex and Dahne
1. Barbara: "Janine, sweetheart, you have only dated one man your entire life?" Janine: "Yeah!" Melissa: "No women? Nobody else...? Ever?!" Barbara: "That just answers so many things. I mean..." ~~Folie-lex
2. Jacob: "I had an ex back home that I was certain I would be with forever." Janine: "What happened?" Jacob: "I realised I outgrew him. You know, it was no one's fault. But I realised I couldn't be the best Jacob I could be." Janine: "Was it hard to let go?" Jacob: "Extremely, but if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have met Zach.." ~~both
3. Janine: “Step’s all about the fundamentals. She’s the fun and I’m the mentals…doesn’t sound right.” ~~Dahne
4. Gregory: “Statewide assessments are coming up. It’s a necessary evil. They say not to teach to the test, but if that were the case, they wouldn’t give tests, would they?”

The Cleaning Lady - Folie-lex
1. Thony: "I just want to be able to... to hold Luca without thinking it's gonna be the last time. You know? I just want him to run in the park and be happy and free. Why can't he just have what every other kid has? Why -- why does it always have to be so hard?"

The Equalizer - Dahne
1. Vi: “When I was your age, I wasn’t always sure who I was ‘cause that is a process, honey. It takes time, so instead of calling her out, maybe you want to consider calling her in.”
2. Worm: “Every good plan needs a little improv. You know, like jazz.”
3. Worm, about taking out a guard: “Well, we can always kill him. We don’t have to worry about him waking up then. Would that make you happy? Robyn: “No, but shooting you would.”

Ghosts - Dahne
1. Sass: “I don’t know why I’m nervous. I mean, you are all idiots.” Pete: “You got this. Just imagine us all in our underwear.” Trevor: “I wish I was wearing underwear.” Hetty: “We all do, Trevor.”
2. Hetty, after Elias goes to hell: “Did I…Did I just…Is that my power, we think? Banishing people to Hades?” Pete: “Or it was him just yelling that he’s never gonna change and basically thumbing his nose at the universe. That’s another possibility.” Hetty: “Oh, we should try it out. Trevor, go to hell.”
3. Isaac: “Well, what do we have here?” Sam: “Oh, we’re just working on the website for the bed and breakfast.” Isaac: “Still? It’s not the Magna Carta, Sam. Chop-chop.”
4. Hetty: “But these people have taught me how to be a better Hetty, and I say there’s hope for you, too, Elias. You’re here for eternity. Why not use it to change?” Elias: “I don’t need to be a better person. There is no good or evil. That’s just a story we tell ourselves and I know better. So Hetty, get this through your tiny, inferior, female brain. I will never change.” Hetty: “Well then you can go to hell.” (Elias goes to hell.)

Pivoting - Folie-lex and Dahne
1. Jodie, about sleeping with Matt: "Don't hate me. I really like him." Sarah: "I could never hate you, sadly. I just wish Diana woulda left me, instead of cheating." ~~Folie-lex
2. Henry: “Babe, this may be an unpopular opinion but I don’t think we should be teaching our son to lie.” Amy: “Un, uh. You know what, Henry. Lying is a very important life skill. Okay? You’re gonna teach him how to change a tire. I’m gonna teach him how to say that he has cramps when he didn’t study for an exam.” Henry: “Yeah, well what happens when he starts lying to us, like when he’s out drinking with friends.” Amy, laughing: “He’s a birder. He’s not gonna have cool friends.” ~Dahne
3. Henry: “Wow! What are you wearing? You look hot.” Amy: “A teenager’s clothing.” Henry: “Oh, now I feel creepy.”
4. Amy: “Who knew it would be difficult being a mother AND a working woman.” Sarah: “Everyone.” Jodie: “There are literally shelves of books about this, blogs too, podcasts…” ~Dahne

Resident Alien - Prpleight
1. Harry: “Asta says I do, so I do.”
2. Sahar: “My mom says when she waxes her legs it feels like being stung by a thousand hornets.” Max: “Then why does she do it?” Sahar: “Because as soon as we hit puberty Western culture tells women we're not okay as we are. We must rip out stuff that's supposed to be there, insert stuff that's not supposed to be there and bleach everything visible to the naked eye.”
3. Harry: “Humans believe they all deserve certain rights. The right to be heard. The right to be respected. Asking for what you deserve in life should not be so hard."
4. Waiter: “If you put ice in the water, you can't taste the water.”

This is Going to Hurt - Sandi
1. Mrs Winnicka: "Nobody cares if I die." Adam "Oh, I dunno. The lion and the wardrobe would probably miss you."
2. Adam (on the phone): "Shruti, get me a spot in emergency theatres now. Ovarian torsion, starved and ready. Uh-huh, yep, that's the one. What? I don't give a sh** what Julian said. Yep. 100% sure. Mm-hm." To Camera " Or 50% sure. And if it's not an ovarian torsion, while I'm in theatres, I can always perform an emergency cutting my own head off."
3. Adam (after checking the deceased Mrs. Winnicka’s vitals and bearing his soul to her one last time): "Don't you dare haunt me."
4. Adam: "And, the delicious...placenta." (Squelchy slap) Mother: "Hang on..isn't this...the placenta?" Adam: "No, that's blood clots from inside your…That's blood clots." Mother retches over him...Adam's pager bleeps

This Is Us - Kath

1. Cassidy: “Aw, Kevin. You’ve been blowing up women’s lives for the better part of two decades. You are like a big, handsome, wrecking ball.”

What We’re Watching

Homicide: Life on the Street - Kath
1. Pembleton: “You know, being cops, I kind of hoped they'd be better liars.”
2. Pembleton: “Listen, let me tell you something. We're all guilty of something, cruelty, or greed, or, or going 65 in a 55 mile per hour zone. But you know what? You wanna think about yourself as the fair-haired choir boy? You go AHEAD.” Bayliss: “All right. Okay, so, uh, what are you saying, huh?” Pembleton: “I'm saying you got a darkness, you, Tim Bayliss, you got a darkness inside of you. You gotta know the darker, uglier sides of yourself. You gotta recognize them, so that they're not constantly sneaking up on you. You gotta LOVE 'EM, 'cause they're part of you, because along with your virtues, they make you who you are. Virtue isn't virtue unless it slams up against vice. So consequently, your virtue's not real virtue. Until it's been tested. . . tempted.”

About the Author - Dahne

One part teacher librarian - one part avid TV fan, Dahne is a contributing writer for SpoilerTV, where she reviews and/or creates polls for Teen Wolf, How to Get Away with Murder, The Librarians, and others. She also runs the annual Character Cup. She's addicted to Twitter, loves live tweeting, and co-hosted The 100 "Red-Shirted" and Teen Wolf "Welcome to Beacon Hills" podcasts for Southgate Media Group. Previously she wrote a Last Week in TV column for her blog and SpoilerTV. ~ "I speak TV."