Last ride out of the big city
My thoughts on “Goodbye and Good Luck”
In short - It was a bad episode with the best acting I've ever seen.
When I was 16, I used to ride the train a lot. I took it from Santa Barbara to San Diego every six weeks, down and back up for school. Around LA, you go by the cement river. You know the one. It was in Grease (where they had the big race) and Terminator 2 (big chase scene with the semi). I always felt bad for the river, and as I was an aspiring poet (I was 16, let me remind you), you'd think the wacky feminista ecologist in me would have written about the river.
In truth, I was fascinated by the graffiti on the walls, and used to make up stories about it to entertain me after I was done with my books. At some point I wrote a story called 'Last Ride into the Big City', which was about growing up and realizing the places you called home as a child weren't the same anymore. I'm sure it was sophomoric, but at the time, it felt profound. Again, I was 16. You think a lot of things are profound at 16, and again at 18 when you're in college. That's how you grow up.
Sara Sidle grew up today.
The episode itself was mediocre. It was a by the books, straight-no-chaser, no plot twists (well, except Marlon's suicide, I didn't expect that, but Mrs. Ipstenu did), 'this is a CSI episode.' And I totally understand why the reviewers were pretty split on the episode. For a send off episode, by the script alone, it was a stinker! Jorja Fox had shit to work with. However, the shitty script gave two phenomenal actresses the chance to act their asses off in ways that, while I feel should be Emmy worthy, will likely never get recognized. Truth be told, I'm glad the script was crummy. It let me concentrate on the acting, which was so far on the peak for both women, I'm glad to have watched.
I'm also very proud to be a Jorja Fox fan.
I'm sure you've all heard about how a few thousand fans sent CBS angry mail about Jorja leaving? This was when we thought she was being fired. Well, Jorja sent out thank you cards to everyone who put a return-address on their letters. EVERYONE. Sure it was a form mail card, but still, she went to the effort of having her people send it out. Not CBS, not CSI. Jorja.
That's an amazing woman.
