Cal finds being convincing is a double edged sword when the admitting psychiatrist (Erick Avari) refuses to discharge him before the observation period is up. Lightman is forced to call Zoe for help, who points out the irony of Cal trusting her enough to use his one phone call on her, but refusing to open up to her at all about how he is feeling about the possibility of having sent an innocent man to his death. Cal tries some trite sounding phrases, which Zoe dismisses with a snort, knowing that whatever he may be feeling, it would not be expressed in platitudes.
The issue of what exactly is under Cal's mask is especially important to the exploration of Cal's relationships with Zoe and Gillian. Zoe is angry as well as worried Cal will not open up to her. She feels rejected, as she so often did during their marriage. To Zoe, being married to a man who was able to trespass her personal boundaries at will while maintaining his own barriers was a challenge she had to either win or walk away from. Nothing has changed now they are separated and Zoe goes to Gillian to see if Foster can succeed where she sees herself as having failed.
It's a big step, because these two women have had a frosty relationship for years, both feeling territorial about Cal. They have very different approaches to dealing with his barriers, Foster's method in this episode being to tell Cal she is there for him and then giving him space. In what may be a first, Zoe and Gillian drop their defences and admit each thinks the other is the one who can always reach Cal no matter what. In fact, neither woman feels confident in being able to pierce Cal's layers of defences around his emotions, but Foster points out there is one person he always lets in: Emily.
Cal's relationship with Emily is one of the joys of this series. Roth and McFarland create a very believable father/daughter dynamic, one in which Cal struggles to be as open and honest as he can with his daughter, who in turn is, well, a teenager. Cal's position of truth is tested as Emily not only wants to know how he is feeling, but also wants to know whether Zoe's unplanned pregnancy trapped her father into a terrible marriage. Emily is a sensitive girl and she is afraid she ruined her father's life. Cal shows how unique his dynamic is with his daughter as he opens up and answers all her questions, letting her know she was the best news he ever got, even if the marriage was not a success. The scene is a nice one and sets up the possible kidnapping of Emily beautifully.
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