Likewise, the crime victims who have died will often appear as ghosts, usually after the crime has been solved and they have gotten their long overdue justice. These scenes, again augmented by music from the particular time period can be real tear jerkers. I personally confess to getting a little weepy at scenes like these.
So for the flashback scenes in particular, the use of music becomes essential in creating and setting the tone. For example, in the Springsteen episode from last year, the story revolved around a group of friends in the Eighties who were into cars, girls, and most of the other stuff you'd find in a Bruce song from that period. The use of Bruce's songs perfectly augmented the storyline and effectively placed you in that very time period.
In Sunday's season opener the cold case is placed in the year 1995; several songs from the mid-Nineties were used in a storyline revolving around a Columbine-type assault on a shopping mall by a couple of misfit teenagers. The names of the artists they used escape me, but I distinctly remember the songs as being minor Nineties grunge hits. Nothing as obvious as Nirvana or Pearl Jam, and thankfully nothing as crass as Marilyn Manson would have been. Still, it effectively put you in the period they were going for. The producers of Cold Case do know how to pick em'.
As the episode played, I found myself wondering just how they would work the usual ghosts into the closing frames—a trademark of this show—with a plot that did not contain a lot of sympathetic characters. But sure enough, in the closing scene the ghosts of the misfit mall murdering teens are there to haunt their parents at the dinner table. Not missing a trick, it is the parents who are made the obligatory sympatheticos.
With its always interesting, if somewhat nostalgic storylines augmented by the clever use of things like music to evoke specific snapshots in time, Cold Case is about as smart as TV cop dramas get. It also makes its point without being too over the top in the same way something like The Shield can be.
For those looking for an alternative to those Desperate Housewives over on ABC (or have a DVR like me), I suggest parking your remote at the couch Sunday nights on CBS at 9:00 PM for Cold Case.
Article comments
1 - Glen Boyd
Thanx for publishing this Erin.
-Glen
2 - Bliffle
Good article. I too find this cop drama interesting and above the normal, probably because it concentrates on the characters rather than the cops, and it makes effective use of time shifts to better portray the participants in the old crime.
One of the very few commercial network programs I watch regularly. On the DVR, that is, where I can skip the annoying commercials.
3 - Glen Boyd
Yeah the DVR does come in rather handy for whizzing past those commercials Bliffle. Thanks for commenting.
-Glen
4 - Taylor
Please I am looking for a song played on cold case on November 11th when the boys had to stand untill they fell and there finger was cut off and stuff. Well I think it was a rap song being played and I would love it if you could please find it for me! Thanks, Taylor