Is a graduate student working in the medical lab at a prestigious university robbing and killing female escorts to support his gambling addictions? And how far will his loyal fiancée go to p... Read allIs a graduate student working in the medical lab at a prestigious university robbing and killing female escorts to support his gambling addictions? And how far will his loyal fiancée go to protect him?Is a graduate student working in the medical lab at a prestigious university robbing and killing female escorts to support his gambling addictions? And how far will his loyal fiancée go to protect him?
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaBased on the Craigslist Killer who targeted escorts in hotel rooms in 2009. Like his fictional counterpart, he also was engaged.
- GoofsNear the end of the show, the last placard that indicates the place and date where the next courtroom scene will take place, the month of February is misspelled as "Febraury".
- Quotes
Dr. Elizabeth Rodgers: First shot cut the spinal cord. It was at close range and aimed to paralyze her below the waist. There's a time gap before the kill shot at the base of the skull. Five to fifteen minutes. There's tearing around her mouth consistent with a ball gag. No evidence of sexual assault.
Detective Kevin Bernard: He bound her hands, feet, gagged her, and paralyzed her.
Cyrus Lupo: Yeah, then he watched her wiggling around helpless before finishing her off.
Dr. Elizabeth Rodgers: It's called "letting her know who's boss".
As far as Season 20 episodes go, "Brilliant Disguise" is neither one of the best or worst. Somewhere in the middle if anything in my view, which is not too bad a position to be in (quite solid actually). It does fall short of being brilliant and the story doesn't blow the mind, but it is still pretty good with a pretty unforgettable perpetrator. Very interesting to see Adam Driver in an early role before he made it big in the role of Kylo Ren, though there are things about "Brilliant Disguise" that are more memorable than him.
The episode is another one that starts off rather ordinary and with not much inspired. The conclusion is a little over-crowded and rushed as a result.
Did feel that compared to the rest of the cast Driver (who has come on a long way since) came over as a little bland, but that may be down to his character being quite sketchy.
However, a lot is recommendable. It doesn't look drab or gaudy, and the editing is far from slapdash. The music avoids getting too melodramatic in the more dramatic moments while not being too low key, it has always been a good move that it is used relatively sparingly. The direction especially shines in the character interaction in the second half. The script is beautifully balanced, there is a lot of talk but taut enough to avoid it from waffling.
On the whole, the story is intriguing and isn't too predictable or doesn't try to include too much. Much of the tension and intrigue comes from the lengths Cutter undergoes to get a result and of course the tensions between him and Timothy Busfield's character. The perpetrator is a truly loathsome where their conviction is rooted for. The acting is very good, with only reservations about Driver. Daniel Eric Gold makes for one sinister character and Busfield captures his character's ruthlessness with relish.
Concluding, not great but well executed on the whole. 7/10.
- TheLittleSongbird
- Mar 19, 2023